Houston Rockets vs Detroit Pistons Postgame
[Music] [Music] What’s up? What’s up? What’s chopping everybody? Uh, good to see you, man. Good to see you. Welcome to the chop shop, man. It’s me, your boy Space. How y’all doing? How you feeling, man? 0 and2. We owe and two. I would say, is it time to panic? Nah, it’s not time to panic, but we got a we got a lot of things to fix. We have a lot of things to fix. We fall to the Pistons 115 to 111 and a lot of our guys just didn’t show up. They didn’t show up. KD showed up, you know, and crunch. He tried to put the team on his back, but Shangon basically was a no-show. The Reed minutes are tough to watch. The Tari minutes are tough to watch. The double big lineup is not efficient and it ruins our spacing without a true point guard. We don’t have a true point guard. So, it’s hard for him for the floor general or lack thereof, should I say, because a man, it diminishes a lot of his qualities and and what he brings to the table when he’s on ball. He’s more capable and efficient and bring more things to the table when he’s off the ball. This is why the point guard is the second most important player on your team. And the Rockets are experiencing that firsthand, bro. Firsthand. But before I get started, man, let me shout y’all out, man. The CSG’s in the building. We all we got. We all we got uh RS United, what’s good? Uh Bruce, what’s happening? Rich the Ruler. Rick the Ruler, what’s good? Uh Run Texas, he’s just here trolling. Say we’re sorry team. I don’t know if he’s a fan or not. What’s up Devin 95? Good to see you. Red Sun, what’s happening? What’s happening? Chris G, what’s good? Yeah, man. Like we just our offense sucks right now. Our offense sucks. Bottom line, our offense sucks and the spacing is horrible. The spacing is terrible. Reed Shepard minutes is terrible. He’s a cone. He can defend. If he’s not catching and shooting, then what is he doing? Tari has been terrible. Jabari didn’t have a good game. None of None of them had a good game except Kevin Durant. Kevin Durant was the only one that decided to show up. Steven Adams. Steven Adams actually had a decent game. It’s it’s you know it’s a bad game for Shangon when Steven Adams outplayed Shangon from the 39 point outset of the last game against the defending champs Oklahoma City Thunder where Shangon just looked like a superstar to these are night and day performances and I thought Shangon had moved past this phase of his career to where you’ll see these highs, ultimate ultimate highs in these extremely lows. It wasn’t good. Tari wasn’t good. KD had uh 37 tonight. I believe KD had 37. And the way this game was officiated, it did it lent more to the Pistons and how they play. the Rockets. If we’re not running and gunning and they have to limit us to half court sets, our half court sets are trash. Our half court sets are trash right now, you know. And JB Bickerstaff, he leans into this whole the Bad Boy Pistons era like you know this and they was ultra ultra aggressive with us and we had no answer for at least the first two quarters. first quarter and a half, we had no answers. We didn’t match the intensity. We got outrebounded offensively that we really usually do well. We usually do these things well, but they came out. They was the more aggressive team. They put us on our heels. And you know, they was the more aggressive team because look at the fouls they was committing. Look at the fouls that they actually did commit. Speaking of fouls, this game was poorly officiated, but that’s not why we lost. The officials is not why we lost this game. Oki, he played well in spurts. He did. He was better than Atari. And what I wasn’t expecting from this team is the lack of defensive intensity, the lack of detail to box out, to grab rebounds, to finish off a defensive possession. I wasn’t expecting this from this team. I had a inkling, you know, of course we all did, that the offense would eventually have to catch up with our defense. But right now, both of them suck. Both of them are trash. Our offense and our defense and our transition defense is trash equally all around the board. And this is not typical of a MODoka le team is this is not what the brand of basketball that Maoka puts forward right this team as of two games it’s only two games I will caveat me saying this by that by saying that they are not living up to expectations. Yeah, we lost the first game in double overtime against the defending champs. Not bad. But even that game, we looked out of sync, clunky, clunky offense, defensive collapses, the zone that we run, trash. Scrap that zone because they’re not doing nothing with the zone. The teams are either shooting threes and we gave up a lot of threes. We lost the three-point differential by like 21 points tonight. because of this zone if the it allows shooters. It allows you to shoot. And the only reason why it was that good um of a game against Oklahoma City cuz they just missed a whole bunch of open three-pointers. A whole bunch of open three-pointers. They just flat out missed them until it was crunch time and then they hit him. like Kase Wallace and and and those guys, they started to hit him today that we was just giving them up. They they made Kate Cunningham look like he was the second coming of I don’t know who, Steph Curry or somebody. He started jacking him and it it was just they didn’t pay attention to the three-point line. Reed the backup center. He started hitting threes. You know, this is a team that is underachieving so far. And it’s due to lineups, to a lack of a point guard, the lack of spacing that these lineups create or don’t create. This is why this team is underperforming right now. And the defense of intensity, the defensive awareness is off. It’s off right now. Now I see, you know, social media. Oh, we got to learn our roles. We got to bump that. We we we know the roles. A hierarchy. What do you mean a hierarchy? You got Kevin Freaking Durant. You got Shangon, that’s a allstar. That’s the hierarchy we have right now. And if you can’t realize this, if the players can’t realize this and then they’re they starting because we can’t get into our our sets quick enough, they start forcing. I think we only had like three assists the whole first half. We don’t have time to be on to develop a point guard. We don’t have that luxury no more. The four years of tanking is out of there. The four years of not expecting to win is out of there. This time when you get a a player like Kevin Durant, it’s win now. We don’t have time to be giving away games because we’re trying to run a point guard by committee with Reed and Aman. We don’t have the time. We don’t have the luxury. So, we need to do something right now. We need to do something. And going extra big is not helping. I don’t know about y’all, but scrap the extra big lineup. You have to scrap that lineup right now because starting off the game, this the lack of spacing that they create. And then it didn’t help because we were still getting outrebounded. the lack of spacing, the lack of point guard, and then still getting out rebounding. When you have the tallest lineup in NFL history to start a game, scrap it. It’s not working. Yeah, people usually say, “Well, let’s get 10 games under our belt. See a sample size.” I’ve seen enough of this already. The reason why the double big lineup was so effective last year because it was a curveball. It was something that’ll get the uh the the the defending team, the opposite team, the opponent off uneasy. It’ll get them uneven. Not that you come out and start with this lineup. That is not what this the double big lineup is for. There’s a reason why the league trended away from the double big lineup. Now, when you don’t now, when the opposing team don’t have the bodies and to meet to to to meet you, right, or to compete with every rebound like you do, then maybe yes. But right now, that’s not that’s not it’s not working. It’s not working. We don’t get into sets quick enough. The time started the shot clock is not friend is not our friend because Reed Shepard or whoever just pounds the rock pounds the rock for 18 seconds and then they want to dump it off and move. We have no ball movement. We have no ball movement because we have guys that can’t dribble. Jabari Smith should not be bringing the ball up the court in any situation. In no situation should Jabari be bringing the ball up the court. No situation should Tari be bringing up the ball up the court. If I was MMA, I would have Shangon or either KD bringing the ball up the court most of the time. Our man, he needs to be off ball. He needs to be in a darker spot. He needs to be where he can cut. Jabari should be in the in the corner. Post it up. That’s where you at. And we’re going to run this high pick and roll action with Shangon and Kevin Durant because you have two guys that you need to account for each one of them. So who you going to double? What are you going to stop? The ball handle which is Kevin Durant or the roller which is Shangon. Now you got an extra person off them. And now some of these guys are open and none of these lanes can and they can cut and they can actually cut off of this pick and roll action or in a short roll action then Shangon can kick the ball out to Jabari who’s waiting in the corner for three. That’s his best shot. What are we doing? What are we doing? It’s so many times that I see Jabari or whoever bringing the ball up the court and then you got two guys posting up right next to each other almost. You got Shangon posting up. You also got Steven Adams posting up. Why do you got two guys posting up? The offense is just not working with these double big lineups cuz these guys want to post up. Hell, just go small. Go smaller, you know. Go with a a a Shangun Jabari. A Shangon Jabari KD um Oki and a man or something. You don’t need Stephen Adams in the on the court for 30 freaking minutes. That’s not what he’s here for. That’s not why why we even brought him here. We’re not utilizing these guys to their strengths. This is the problem that we had with Steven Silas. He would make guys do things that they’re not comfortable with. And these guys are not comfortable with doing the things that they’re doing right now. High screen pick and roll with KD and Shangon. This is what you need to do. Make the defense adjust to you. Swing the ball from side to side. Find the corner man. Find the short roll. Find a man cutting or extending a dunker spot where he’s right at the goal. It’s too hard of a offense to try to run when you got these two guys clogging up the paint. Everything that KD does, he have to work with it very work to get it very very hard. We need someone that can actually make a entry pass, right? Or either find KD in his spots, his sweet spots where he like to work from. But he can’t work from that spot because you got two bigs. One under the basket and then one about 10 to 12 feet from the basket clouding crowding up KD’s working area. This is where he likes to go work at the elbow. And he needs that because he’s going to dribble once or twice and get to his spot and shoot up. But he can’t dribble once or twice and get to his spots and shoot up because you got a big lumbering guy in his spots like what are we doing? And if I’m a casual fan and if you’re y’all are fans like we’re not casual fans but we we love the team but we know a little bit. If I can see it, then they can see it. Then the opponent can see it. And it’s easier to scheme for. It’s much easier to scheme for. You know, put these guys in advantageous positions to where they’re going to succeed. Find out. I don’t know what you have to do, but find out how you’re gonna get KD the ball and get it in his spots and make way and clear it out and give him space to work. The double big lineup is not working. Scrap it. Scrap it. I’ve seen two games of it. I’ve seen enough. I have seen enough of this double big lineup. What y’all think? Put it in the chat. Double big. Keep going with it. Let’s see where it takes us. Or go ahead and scrap it when right now. Go ahead and scrap it right now because I’m on the I’m on the the position. We need to scrap it before it’s too late because pretty soon, you know, the Spurs Spurs look good. The Dallas look Dallas looks straight. You know, Memphis look pretty good. The Warriors are the Warriors. What What What we doing? What? How long are we going to run with this lineup, bro? Until we can’t we don’t have a chance no more. And now you waiting on a a 15 game winning streak to come out of somewhere. Scrap this double big lineup. It’s hurting our team at this point. It’s hurting our team. This was just a wild game in general. What? We have like 10 technical fouls. Like 50 fouls between both teams. I think we took like 40 free throws, man. Let’s look at some stats, man. Kevin Durant nine for 18, 50% from the field. Not bad. Three for three from the three-point line. 16 for 18 from the free throw line. 16 for 18 from the free free throw. Three steals a block. He was a minus one with 37 points. No, we can’t blame everything on KD, bro. No, cuz KD wasn’t the problem. KD wasn’t the problem. He’s He He put up 37. He KD is doing what we brought him to do. We brought him to score the ball and he almost bailed us out, but he is he’s it’s just not enough for just him. Some of these other guys got to come with some of these other guys got to come with him. Jabari Smith Jr. played 40 minutes. Three for 14 from the field, three for nine from the three-pointer, two for two from the free throw line, six rebounds and two assists, one steel in a block, a negative six with 11 points. Steven Adams, three for four. Hold on for three for 14, Jabari. Three for 14. No. And and What? Threearters of that was from the free uh three-point line. Steven Adams 25 minutes four for four from the field, three for four from the free throw line, 10 rebounds, three steals, a negative four with 11 points. Sh. I mean, that was solid, but we don’t need him playing that much. We don’t. Alp played 38 minutes. He was five for 18 from the field, 0 for two from three. That three ball came back down to earth. If y’all ain’t noticed, that three ball came back down to earth. 7 for 10 from the free throw, seven rebounds, seven assists, a plus three with 17 points. Hey man, Tom Thompson 30 minutes, two for eight from the field, 0 for one from the three-point line, six for 10 from the free throw, four rebounds, one assist, and his defense was suspect. You know, he was a negative six with 10 points. He barely topped 10 points. Tar East in 28 minutes. He got a little bit more burned than he usually got uh than he got last game. Two for five from the field. 0 for one from three. Five rebounds, two assists, one steel. Negative five, four points. Four freaking points. Josha Ki had a pretty good game. 17 minutes. Three for four from the field, one for two from three, three for four from the free throw. four rebounds, one assist, a plus four with 10 points. Reed Shepard played 20 minutes, three for 11 from the field, three for four from three. He actually was hitting his threes, two rebounds, three steals, a negative 13 with nine points. But his defense is so bad. His defense is so so bad. We shot 38% from the field as a team. 38%. 32 for 83. Yeah, we start slow, Tim Dunn. We start slow, but those like, come on. We We got We’re supposed to have a better team. We supposed to have a better team. We supposed to be beating teams like the Pistons. We supposed to be beating teams like the Pistons. Yeah, they’re improved and they’re better on opening night with the better the two best players on the floor. I don’t think Kunningham is better than Shangun or KD. We need to win. We need to win these games. I’m not saying the Pistons are a slouch at all cuz they are better. They are improved. But we should beat them. I think we have more depth. We have two allstars basically. We have a legend and then we have a allstar. We need even if Shangon was just half of what he was last game, we win this game. Even if Shangon is half of what he is last game or his regular self, we win this game going away. But shooting 38% from the field because it’s so hard to get good shots. We’re taking bad shots. Ree Shepard, he’s running and he’s doing skyhooks like he’s freaking Kareem Abdul Jabbar. Bro, you’re 5’6. You’re 5’9, bro. You think you f to get it over Stewart and D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D Duran and all of these guys. Come on, stop it. Bad shot se selection. Bad spacing. So everything is tough at this point. Where’s the system, the draw, the plays drawn up to get easy buckets, the motion and the cutting and where is all of this? Where is it? Cuz we don’t see it. We don’t see it. We was 10 for 22 from the three-point line, which is not bad, but we only getting up 22 threes. 37 for 48 from the free throw. We got to at least hit at least four or five more of those free throws. We hit four or five more free throws, we win the game. We win the game. Let’s see the offensive rebounding they had. Let me see what they have. They had 15 offensive rebounds. We had 17. We had 28 defensive rebounds. They had 30. No, I’m sorry. They had 48 total rebounds. We had 45. We still getting outrebounded. We still got outrebounded. And I’m wondering like, you know, how much of them how many of them offensive rebounds they turned into points because at some a couple of point times we we gave them three, four, five chances at to get it. You know, they give them that many cracks at the at the basket, they gonna eventually hit some of them. They gonna hit one of them, two of them. got out rebounded, got out three-pointer. We was 10 for 22 from the three-point, right? What was they? Let’s see. They were 16 for 39. That’s a 18point swing. That’s a 18point swing on just three-pointers. That’s the ball game. rebounding and three-pointers. That’s pretty much the ball game. That’s why we lost. A lack of effort on defense. That’s why we lost. CJ McCullum at this point. At this point, I mean, we got to do something. We have to do something. But the double big lineup not working. What we doing now is not working. KD can’t be happy cuz this is not what he signed up for. This is not what he signed up for. And I will say this before I bring people up. If you want to come up, I’ll post the link in the chat and then you could come up. You know how we do it. I want to hear from the CSGs. Let me know how you feel and give your take off and then we can get rolling. But this Fred Van Vleet injury I believe is more significant with our ro roster construction and our chance championship aspirations than almost any other injury in the league. And know we still see the Pacers doing well even though you know Hi is out you know we still I mean the the Boston Celtics they’re going to be Boston. I think they’ll figure it out eventually cuz they got a they got a good squad. But this Fred Van Vleet injury is probably more detrimental and more significant to this current Rockets team than any team that’s dealing with any injury right now of like a star caliber type player. That’s how significant this Fred Van Vleet injury is. And what is it with the Rockets and injuries, bro? Anytime we we we think we’re gonna sniff some success, somebody get hurt. If it’s not Yao Ming, you know, Chris Paul, we we we staying with injuries. Now, Fred Van Vleet, Tracy McGrady, we get bit with the injury bug at the wrong time. at the very I mean this it’s just the wrong time bro and we always got to deal with this here go the link man y’all can come up man come up talk to your boy space let me know how you feeling let me know and get your take off and um so we can get it started man yeah man scrap the double big lineup you know do something. The point guard by committee thing is not working. It’s just not working. If you haven’t already, by the way, hit the like button. Hit the like button, everybody. Is it time to panic? No. Christian, is it time to panic? No. I wouldn’t say panic, you know, but we do see when we have glaring holes and glaring weaknesses in our team that where it will hinder us in the long run in the long run from actually going and being where we want to be, succeeding and and doing what we want to be and what we want to do. It’s going to It’s hurting us. It’s hurting us. We need a Brandon. We need a capable Just a capable capable ball handler. Just a ball handler that can actually set the table. None of our guys can dribble outside of KD. Reed Shepard, he got a little handle, but he’s so small that and what he brings to the table, it offsets just because he can handle. You know what I’m saying? And a and KD with between the basket and 15 20 feet, good handlers, but on the on the outside perimeter, you you usually don’t want KD handling the rock that much. you know, and going from the inside out, working the inside out game. It’s good when you got spacing. It’s good when you got spacing, but if you don’t got spacing, then what what is it for? You know, Changun was just he was just bad. And I think it’s because he just didn’t couldn’t get into a rhythm. He couldn’t get into the rhythm. Too much people around. Too many too many bodies. Easy to help off get somewhere. We really need some um an assistant coach who’s an offensive specialist. I agree. If it doesn’t hurt’s ego, he should be looking. He We should be looking for an offensive minded coach. I hope Tari will get out of his head. Yeah, man. Because you could tell mentally Tari isn’t here. He isn’t here, bro. He’s too worried about getting paid, bro. Take theund meal, man. This is your first contract. A lot of people don’t get a 100 mil contract. This your first one. Usually your second one, that’s when you look to back up, you know, after you establish yourself in the league. But you was heard, you’ve been heard, you you basically a a role player and you complaining about a 100 mill, bro. When you come from nothing, now I’m not saying don’t don’t be confident in your skills and what you but what you bring to the table, we can get somewhere else. probably even cheaper. Or we can do that by committee like Joshua Kogi. We seen him on a way cheaper deal do some of the things that you’re known to do. The fact that Jabari I mean Tori didn’t start in front of a Kogi in the second half tells you a lot. It tells you a lot. He’s losing the trust of ML Doka. He’s losing the trust of the coach. And once you lose trust of with the coach, then hey bro, it takes a lot to get out of that doghouse. It takes a lot to get out of that dog house, bro. Once you get in there and I bet you it takes more to get out of the doghouse with Emmy Odoka. It seemed like, you know, he’s going to have to you’re going to have to wow him to get back on the court. Tory looked good in the highlights. What happened? I guess you seen that one steal that he that he did and he got the easy dunk at the end. That’s the only highlight he had. Literally the only highlight he had was that. So, it is what it is. I’m posting the link again if y’all want to come up. nobody want to come up, then I’ll say a couple of more words and then we can end it. But if you want to give your take off, you want to know how you uh let people know how you feel, go ahead and hit the hit the link. You anyone can come up, even if you’re not a Rockets fan, come up and tell us how you what do you think at this point. The link is right there in the chat. You can come up. Yeah, Aaron Holidayiday might need to get more minutes. He can shoot the three. He spaces the floor. He’s decent ball handler. He plays some scrappy defense. You know, I don’t know why he’s not getting any any burn. I don’t because the only thing I could think about is maybe they still trying to hold out hope for read and I’m in this point guard by committee thing. That’s the only thing I could think about. But it’s not working so far. Put him in. See what he can do. Spark off the bench. You know, I looked at some of these lineups together and I was like, whoa, what what where is the offense going to come from? A man, it was like a man Jabari, uh, Tari and Stephen Adams. And I’m like, man, what is going on? What type of what type of lineup is these? What’s up, Frank? What’s good, bro? What’s happening, bro? Man, I’m I’m I’m Thank you for doing this because you make me feel better, bro. I was I was angry. I was Bro, that game was stressful, man. I don’t know why that was such a hard game to watch. That was some of the nastiest basketball I’ve seen in EOD’s tenure as a Rockets coach. I ain’t gonna lie. Yeah, man. That it was just a hard watch, bro. I mean, it’s it’s like everything is just so hard for him because of the lack of spacing, right? And the lack of ball handler that can get them get him the ball. They have to work so hard just to get into sets. And when they bring up the ball, whoever it is, cuz they were trying to use Jabari, every one of them has a diff a major flaw. Like when Jabari brings the ball up, obviously he can’t dribble. So he picks up his dribble, they crowd him, and once you crowd the ball handler that’s bringing up the ball, the entry pass is just that much harder. So increases the risk of turnovers with a man. Same thing with the handles, they kind of are starting to trap him a little bit. So he picks up his dribble, makes it harder. And Reed, Reed, his dribbling has gotten better, but he takes so long to diagnose the coverage. like he he just stand there and just stare for like a lot of the times we don’t get into the action till like nine eight seconds left on the shot clock when he’s that point guard. Um it’s really it’s really sad bro because you got KD, you got Shangu. I did like that in the second half they kind of went to KD bringing it up and getting into the action with Shangon. Um they just need to work off of that more because that generated some good shots even though they wasn’t hitting them. But uh it is It’s it’s the expectations from this team are different than previous teams where you have younger players trying to learn. Um it’s not the same. Like people looking at this of the lens like, “Oh yeah, Jaylen, nah, bro. This is not a Steven Solace or Christian Wood team.” Hell, this ain’t even first year trying to turn a team around. Like you’re in the real NBA now. We’re on the same level perception wise as the Timberwolves, the Nuggets. You don’t have time for ain’t none of them teams gonna let a rookie come out and just tank the minutes, bro. Yeah. And that’s what people got to understand. This a whole different dynamic. This is this is this is big boy basketball now. And you know, I mean, you gota you got to deliver. Um, and we we got so many holes on the team and Shangon played bad today. Played soft. A man played bad. Everybody played bad except KD. Um, yeah, it’s it’s so many things going on, honestly. And I was calling for that action in the in the chat. I was like, why is not KD and Shangon doing the high screen pick and roll or screen or whatever you’re going to do at the top of the key. You know what I’m saying? Because that actually makes the defense adjust like, okay, now who who gonna guard, right? And Jabari needs to be in a corner, bro. He needs to be in the corner. A man needs to be in a dunker spot. And Steven Adams need to be baseline on the other side, you know, roaming out of the way. And then if it’s a make or miss, he can get in there and get an offensive rebound. Like, yep. This is not hard to to And I don’t know if MA is just trying to let these guys go through the growing pains, but this not time for that. This this is not the time for to be trying to groom a point guard, bro. It’s it’s not time for that. I mean, the the growing pains, you’re not going to grow as far as learning how to dribble in the middle of the season. That’s that’s that’s different. like your experience may make you process a little faster. But that’s why like when people discuss with me about like Reed and a man and I said this in the preseason and people were getting on me about it blah blah blah like growing development for those like what I call like more like larger motor skills as a basketball player happen in the off season. Like your handles get better each year. like in between the season you come back with a new handle etc. Just like shooting, like guys may like their shooting may go up and down, but for the most part during the season, they’re going to be what they’re going to be. But if you want to see a huge jump in a guy’s shooting because they might work on their form in the offseason, do all this that same thing with dribbling and and being able to. So like some of the issues that Reed has, for example, they’re not going to change just because he’s played more games. some of the things that he is struggling on, Mike, like like I said, his ability to get into the action faster, that’s going to get better. Um, but not being able to like create separation, not being able to play defense on ball for a man, not being able to just um continue a dribble after you you get like pressure or get into the paint without having to commit to. So because when a man even when he attacks if he doesn’t go for a layup or a dunk he’s going to turn it over. So there’s no like probing you know what I mean like stuff where a point guard do where you might get the initial action you probed and reset it. We don’t have none of that. It’s either crash or not. So those things I mean they going to do what they going to do like and it’s not going to be it’s not going to get easier because teams are going to put the word out like oh yeah just put ball pressure on them and they’re already doing it. Like the book is out on the Rockets. Every team is is putting ball pressure tra is is what we saw when KPJ was was playing a lot of point guard. Yeah. Where I think it was Nick Nurse that started it or it was either Nick Nurse or Spra that started picking him up full court and he would have a bunch of turnovers and they would start trapping him. Um every time they just trap him and and I remember people were like, “Oh yeah, he’s the most trapped player in the league.” That’s because they didn’t they were doing that as an insult to them. Like, bro, we don’t trust your IQ to make a play out of a trap, right? And so, so it’s they need a they need a vet point guard so bad, bro. In the worst way. Like, it’s a lot of the reason offense looks the way it does is because it’s like you have all these tools, but you don’t have somebody that knows how to use them. Um, and yeah, it’s just it’s just really bad. And I can see Eay trying to search for stuff, but he’s not really helping the situation either with some of the the plays and the way they play. So, you know, I know they’ll get better over the I give them a month to like figure out whatever version of this offense or what this team’s going to be, but um it it looks nasty right now. Yeah, they better figure it out quick. Devin, you on stage. What’s going on, man? What’s good, y’all? It’s been a minute, man. Yeah, it’s been a minute. It’s been a minute, man. Man, man, bro, this [ __ ] feel like this [ __ ] feel like when like, you know, you ain’t been to the grocery store in a minute, you look in the cabinet, you trying to figure out, you know, what I got to cook a meal and like, damn, I ain’t got [ __ ] to go together, man. That like that’s how this team feel right now. Like, man, I really wanted a man to be like the f like the point guard of the future. I’m not saying that’s out of the, you know, the book. I still feel like he has the development and you know like everybody’s expectation is high for him but like I really feel like he could benefit from like change of pace you know you see guards like him who are very explosive you know um they kind of just when they have that you know really quick burst they just go instead of just you know like going first gear second gear third gear he he’s just going first gear straight to fifth gear you know and and staying in that gear. And like a a good guard is not going to have to be like sprinting up the court, you know, every possession to get into an action or or to bring it up or, you know, he he he looks better than he did last year, but he still doesn’t have that comfortability that you want to see from your league guard. But I I trust him more than Reed, man. read like when when he goes to the rim I feel like people are daring him. He doesn’t he doesn’t give me that confidence that makes me feel like he’s like a TJ McConnell like you know a fearless a fearless point guard you know like a strategic Kentucky guard like that we thought we were getting out of the draft. He does have that high IQ where he can process but like it kind of backfires because he he kind of thinks too much. He’s he he doesn’t have a offensive game where he can kind of, you know, in my opinion, he needs to be more like a Chris Paul. Um because he loves to get to that mid-range since he can’t really get to the rim like that. Um but he can’t hit it. Yeah, he he he gets there, but he’s not he’s not converting them. And I guess that’ll come with time, but man, I see what you mean, though. I I feel like his jumper needs a little bit of tweaking. Like I’m not He has the good mechanics, but it’s something about it. It’s like he’s like jumping forward. Um like I’m not saying like he has to have like a Steph Curry type base, but it’s something about his jump shot that just it doesn’t feel like it’s a it’s a off the dribble type jump shot. It feels kind of um I don’t know. It feels like a set like a a catch and shoot. He feels like a catch and shoot player. I’m honestly disappointed in Stone because, you know, we drafted all these, you know, athletes and I was curious other day and I looked up his measurements, man. He’s 6’2 with a 63 wingspan, you know. So, you know, this is an average guy and we’re expecting him to go go up against well, I’m not going to say average guy, you know, he’s he has NBA athleticism, 40 vertical, you know, elite hand eye coordination, but he he honestly just looks looks average. Um, I feel like he’s afraid when he’s out on the floor, but I mean, you know, I can say a little bit a little bit about everything. you know, everybody on the team. Honestly, I’m I’m say a brief thing before I pass it on to the next person about KD. I feel like when I watch KD, I don’t feel inspired by his play, you know? Um, not because he’s not great, not because he’s not efficient. He just doesn’t like I mean, I might be saying this cuz I’m a fan, but Jaylen Green bought a level of excitement. Dylan Brooks by a level of excitement that it was just a level of grit. Even though, you know, Jaylen Green was inconsistent, it was something about his game that had flare and excitement. When I watch KD play, like it’s it’s just a little lackluster to me. You know, he gets the job done, but like I miss the excitement of last year, you know, in my opinion. I take consistency and efficiency over excitement any day. And I’m not saying you’re not wrong about them bringing, you know what I’m saying, some excitement, but I’ll take the effic efficient and consistent over a a cool dunk dumpster not dunk. You know what I mean? Yeah. Yeah. N that’s funny space. But that’s that’s that’s facts though. You know what I’m saying? But I know what he means. I I understand what you mean, bro. But yeah, I’m going to space on that one. Like I I I I I like knowing that when that guy shoots the ball, like I kind of assume it goes in instead of holding my breath. So, um yeah, I I think it’s his dribbling too a little bit. Like when when he puts the ball on the ground, like he he starts really looking old. So, um yeah, you could tell that he’s getting a little older. I I would say like real quick that he’s what KD is, he’s a um he’s a play finisher. So, that’s always been the case. He’s not a guy that like you just like harden where you just give him he’s going to be your world and set up everybody for stuff. That’s why what I was talking about earlier about the team needing a setup man is so important is because we’re not even we’re not using KD to his full effect. And that’s not that’s one of the reasons he struggled in Phoenix. If you don’t have a a good ball handler with KD, bro, you could be you could not make the playoffs with him. But the thing is, if you do have somebody that could set him up with Shangon and stuff, he could also push you to a championship. So, that’s really the enigma that he is. But to me, Stone should know that when you make that trade, and I’m sure they do. That’s something your scouting department got to know. So, that’s why I’m a little confused because a lot of people talking about, well, well, uh, Fred, Fred got hurt. I ain’t gonna lie. I said in the offseason that once they traded JG and Dylan, like even with Fred, we had a glaring hole at the guard position and then Cam Whitmore too. So, this was always going to be an issue cuz, you know, Fred was going to get hurt at some point during the season and I never felt comfortable um trusting my team’s keys with with two kids. Aaron Holiday, please come save us. Hell no. you start. Don’t say don’t say that name around Frank, bro. No, but the thing is we didn’t we didn’t bring KD in for that, you know. We brought him in to get a bucket and to finish games. We and that was always his like his game. He was never a per se continuous like Frank say uh James Harden or ultimate shot creator. He he hardly ever really created his shots. But from 15 ft in if he just could take two dribbles and then pull up, that’s all he needs since he’s so tall and so efficient. So even though but when the rubber meets the road in the position that we’re in right now, we going to have to get him to do more. And I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing with his age. You know what I’m saying? But if he don’t want to just plummet to or this team to plummet to the bottom of the standings early and then you got to crawl out of the hole, then that’s just what he’s going to have to do until Stone make a move or so I don’t know uh an act of God that a man and Reed Shepard developed so so quick that they’re all the you know that be the ball handlers that we think they can be or we want them to be, it’s going to have to be on Shangon and and and KD initiating offense. If not, then we’re going to get games that look like this night in and night out. And it’s going we’re going to win some of these games. We we are going to win some of these games, but it’s going to look ugly and then it’s not going to be efficient and it’s going to be clunky looking and that’s not what we expected going into this season once we added KD. So yeah, you done Devin? Yeah, I’mma pass it on to Louis. All right, Louie. Louie, what’s going on? Louie. Louie from the north. You You’re on stage, bro. You have to unmute. Okay, he ran away. Looks like he dropped. Space, let me ask you a question while he get straightened out. What do you I I made a tweet saying that I think a man playing on ball um is hurting him on offense because I liked how he was like to me his the thing that makes him so dynamic as a player is that he can play on ball but when he’s off ball him in a dunker spot or him cutting or him getting rebounds is like valuable to the team and that’s when he would like have those stat stuffer games where he have you know 12 rebounds 18 points. A lot of that came from him just cleaning up stuff and just cutting and kind of just playing, you know, off off ball. And then on defense when he’s he’s we’re using him as a primary point of attack defender this year more than pretty much the whole game against the team’s best offensive player. And um last season that duty was split up amongst Fred, Dylan, JG, and him. And even as a help defender, there’s some things he does um that we’re missing. I I just feel like because of the the lack of we don’t really have a lot of guards and and we lost so much um guard depth with the trade that it kind of help is making him look bad because in both games he’s been a minus when he was on the court. What do you What are your thoughts on that? Yeah. Um I I kind of hinted at that earlier in the stream. It and I agree. Yes, it it does because now he exerts so much more energy as well guarding the best player on the opposite team and also have to initiate majority of the actions on offense. That’s why he cramped up the first game and and get and yeah, we did go into double overtime, you know, but he exerted so much energy that it took away from that. And then just him being on ball, it’s almost like he’s easier to guard because as what Devin says, he’s not that shifty, you know, stop and go. He’s just downhill. You know what I’m saying? straight beline downhill type of player and since he’s on ball now he have to think more he have to look more and then he have to be aware of everyone else on the on the court. So it’s taken away from his rebounding because he’s not as close to the goal, you know, cutting because he’s not like on the wing or dunker spot where he can just cut. and even his defense when he can just rotate over and help off of his man onto bigs because now he’s constantly holding a guy that’s usually at this position they can hit threes and you can’t leave him. So all the way around is is affecting his whole game. And I agree. Yeah, I agree to totally 100% that him having the ball is limiting a great like the majority of what he brings well off the ball, you know, and um I think he’s better utilized off the ball. So yeah, you hit the nail right on the head with that one for sure. Uh, we got Louis back. What’s up, Louie? Hey everyone. Uh, I just wanted to, uh, first say hello and, uh, say it’s good to see you, uh, backspace. I think it been a minute since I had seen you on the show, but um, I just wanted to, you know, just mention that there was a whole, you know, a lot of expectation for, you know, for the season. And after that first game, you know, you you kind of thought that the second game was going to be, you know, uh, you know, Pistons were going to have to pay for that disappointment and how we threw away the kind of threw away the game, you know, and versus OKC and, you know, the opposite, I think, kind of happened, you know, feels like Pistons had most of the time, you know, control of the game and and uh and I don’t know, it was it’s kind of a just disappointing because of that, I guess, because the expectations set before the season even started after the first game even though it felt like the defense um kind of disappeared. you know, I was thinking maintain itself and even add the scoring, but somehow we kind of regressed with the defense. And it’s just been uh surprising, I guess, just to uh see the first two games after again, you know, that expectation that we got after, you know, getting KD and uh and making the trade. Yeah. And and one thing that uh Eay is going to have to really focus on is keeping these guys in the moment. Don’t don’t start looking at the win loss, you know, the standings and getting their morale down because they’re 0 and2 which I don’t think they’re affected about it yet. But let these losses start piling up. Then you’re gonna have to worry about moral. You already dealing with a disgruntled Tari. I don’t care what nobody says. Tari is disgruntled. Tari is in his head, right? Tari is not the same Tari that he’s all that he was, right? And or that we known to grow in love. And then if you start getting because we know KD, you know, as great as KD is, he’s fickle. And it and it could be anything that sets him off. It could be a tweet from a fan. So y’all rock his fans. Nah, go easy on KD, man, cuz he can get n he can get it. N you getting paid, bro. But no, I don’t think I don’t think they I think they they’ve been through losses before as a team. So, I don’t think it’ll be it’ll be anything as long as I’ll say one thing about our team. We got a pretty good nucleus. Um I’ll say EA has like the vibes pretty good. I’m not worried about them going on losing streaks more than the process in which they get there. And um like it just the stuff that I’m seeing there. There’s certain things you can look at when something’s wrong and be like, “Well, this is fixable here, here, and here.” I think they can they can improve a lot. Like, let’s not They can improve a lot, and the coaching staff can improve a lot, but um some of the issues with certain players are just things that there’s not much you could do about it. And and it’s really going to come down to Eay making adjustments on where he’s putting them because I feel like they’re trying to force square pegs into round holes right now because of whatever. But all right. Hey Lou, you got some background noise or either you eating chewing bones or something, bro. But uh No, I got a couple of cats around here making some noise, but I think it’s Oh, it might just be your mic. Yeah, it might be your mic. Now, I wouldn’t I know they’re not, you know, feeling the pressure or nothing like that yet. You know what I’m saying? It’s just two games, right? But I’m I’m hoping we don’t see those. But every team throughout the course of the season will lose two to three games in a row, right? And if we start off losing two to three games in a row, it’s better it’s better to have a bad start than a bad finish. But these guys are still pretty young. You know what I’m saying? And then without that veteran leadership as far as um you know Trevan Vleet there to calm him down. KD as much as I love him as a player and his assets. He he he’s not a verbal leader, right? He lead more by example if you would say so. He’s not that raw guy, you know, get in people faces, make sure he’s going to trash talk the o opposite team. Sure. But I never viewed him as being the outspoken leader. You know what I’m saying? Unless I have a different perception of KD than everyone else have. I never viewed him as being that vocal leader guy. You’re like, he just like, I just want to go ball. I just want to go hoop. Just give me the ball. Let me go hoop. You know what I’m saying? That’s more of KD that, you know, perception of KD that I get. Yeah, I totally agree. That’s why I really hope that uh the Rockets, you know, make can make a move, you know, before the trade deadline or something because otherwise, you know, it I don’t know. I just I feel it if I feel it can get kind of messy uh starting to you know correcting what we digressed on but when we uh uh you know as far as the defense you know going um just playing so uh bad in terms of defense not just uh uh the offense at times and in this case with KD last time it was uh Alpie making the buckets but um you know I think that uh even around you know different sports shows and commentators they’ve made like that comment that that same remark that, you know, we’re going to need like a point guard because, you know, Reed is too young. You know, he’s uh hasn’t really shown in uh enough to make us think that he might be able to give us a leap this season and kind of semifield the shoes of Fred, but otherwise, I mean, it does look like uh, you know, everybody’s got that same idea that uh the team’s just going to need a a veteran point guard somehow. Um because uh I don’t know. It’s going to look kind of clunky and it’s gonna I don’t we’re going to have a lot I think losses because of well many reasons but I think that one’s ones that kind of stands out. Yeah, I agree. I agree. Um, but not just to say not just to give all the blame to the Rockets, right, for losing this game because there is enough blame to go around, but I credit the Detroit Pistons. They was ready and they got up for this game. You know what I’m saying? They got up for this game. They came out. They were the more aggressive team. um they actually played more to their strengths and didn’t let the Rockets and they didn’t fall into the trap of letting the Rockets run and gun. They got back on defense, made the Rockets force Rockets into half court sets that they know that we’re weak at because we don’t have that point guard. They didn’t um you know lose their composure except for during uh during. But I have to credit I have to give credit to the the the Troy Pistons because the Troy Pistons came out and they took this game from us. You know, they came out and they took the game and they punched us in the mouth for for at least three three and a half quarters until towards the end. You know, we were scratching and clawing and then KD tried to do something towards the end, but for the most part, they handled Shangon perfectly. the refs was letting them be physical and they took it to their they took it to their advantage and they capitalized on the physicality even though the refs was fickle. The ref was I don’t know what’s a foul and what’s not. I think the ref put their imprint on the game and and tried to eliminate a lot of the bumping and bruising, grabbing and holding for the most part. So, it was a lot of false call. They didn’t let them just go out and play. But the refs is not the reason why we we lost this game. The Detroit Piston was just the better team tonight. And Cade, he did his thing. And uh Reed off the bench for them. They he did he did uh he contributed and they won the game. You know what I’m saying? So it wasn’t all bad because of the Rockets. The Detroit Troy Pistons did force us into a lot of bad shots because they are big and long as well and they used and they was in position and they out rebounded and out hustled and and uh Duncan Robinson hitting threes from the corner and all of that. That all added up. Detroit, they won the game. They was a better team. Yeah, they felt it felt like they had home court from the start and that’s kind of what surprised me then. And they feel like Kade was still punking Jaylen, but Jaylen like Jayen ain’t here no more, man. Like take it easy on us. Yeah, that’s my two cents on the game. I I’ll let you let the next person know, you know, vent a little bit maybe. I don’t know. But I know watching you and always uh you know, waiting for your uploads. comment and see what you have to do so we can you know either celebrate or I guess uh you know vent together a little bit for sure. Appreciate you Louie. Uh Frank, did you want to say something before I go on the third good? Yeah. No, I was just going to say appreciate you Louie. And uh yeah, I was agreeing what you said. Space K definitely was forcing the issue. I think they they did a good job adjusting in the second half trying to blitz him. I think that kind of slowed down their offense a little bit, but the rebounds killed this. Um, I think the Pistons just are they’re a big enough team, a tough enough team that they can put enough bodies in the paint to scare off our guys and force us to take shoot take shots that um we just didn’t hit today. And uh, you know, I mean, we we just it it’s just to me the space like you point out, the spacing is bad. I feel like we the roster has players. Eay is just not maxim like the the lineups with no no KD and Shangun on the floor like those to me those like you could claim those lost the game between overplaying Reed putting lineups with none none of your scorers. I was like where are they going to get offense in some of these lineups that he was putting out. So, but I know he he does this. I’ve noticed this about him early in the year he plays these weird lineups and then as the season goes on they start tightening it up. So, I know they’ll adjust and they’ll figure it out. But like I said, it just look ugly right now. Hey, I’m I I came in at the perfect moment, bro, because that’s exactly what I was about to say. Like, it was just But I don’t know. E, can y’all hear me? Yeah, we can hear you. Yeah, we can hear you, bro. Bro, Eay is just such a weird coach, man. like like sometimes like the lineups he plays it’s it’s like why did you even have to see that on the floor? You get what I mean? Like it’s crazy sometimes. It’s like bro it’s like what are these lineups you be thinking of man? Like and um personally I what I think is like the Pistons almost did us like that last year too. I don’t know if y’all remember that game but it was it was it was it was a pretty rough game. Like don’t don’t get me wrong though. Today was like one of the worst refereeed games I’ve ever seen in my life. Like it was it was just hard to to to get a flow of the game and damn near two hours passed. By the time it was halftime, it was it was [ __ ] weird. Um I’m sorry, professor. Um I don’t know. E gonna have to do some real coaching this season like offensively. And I I do think that I do feel like they’re making it harder than it needs to be a lot of the time. Um like it’s I don’t know. It’s just ridiculous. Like the whole spamming KD with Shenon pick and roll. We should have like that should have been been done from the beginning of the game. You know what I mean? But it’s the fact that it also doesn’t help that they have Adams and using him as a screener sometimes. Uh I I think we just got to mix it up. Like I the double big is cool like as almost as a disruption lineup as opposed to something that we start off with. I think that it’s easier to game plan against that in the beginning of the game. And I personally feel like when we do the zone, it it it’s almost less dis less disengaging than not playing zone, you know, if you know what I mean. Like if you think about last year, we had that hard-nosed defense or just like Pistons did, but now we almost coming into the game and then getting into the zone and and it just I don’t know, it just doesn’t we don’t feel as active, I think. And so I think that we will just have to switch that lineup and we will have more energy. I don’t know. They’re good. You got you gotta think, bro. We went we’ve we’ve lost 60% of our starting five, right? So you you had Dylan, Fred, and Jaylen are are not on the on well for different reasons. Um, but that zone that we played when we went double big with Adams and Shangon and it would usually be like sometimes it’d be a man a man Fred Dylan or a man Jaylen uh I mean Jaylen Fred Dylan. The most effective one was the Amen Fred Dylan one. um when when they would play those lineups cuz he would usually close sometimes and sometimes they’ll replace either Dylan or a man with Jaylen. Regardless, Fred Van Vleet in the middle of that zone as the as like kind of the point was so active, bro. And he was like pre he like if y’all go back and watch Tay from last year, bro was so he he’s just so smart that he would pre-rotate. He anticipates where a lot of those actions were going to be going in the zone that when the they made the pass out of wherever they were like he was already there and you know the collective IQ as far as defensively is now shifted from those vets especially Dylan and Fred not being there to younger players that are are inexperienced bro. So, I think that’s going to be a learning curve. Yeah. Oh, right. Right. Right. That’s what I’m That’s what I mean. Like I I I agree with you 100%. But if like I’m sure we all knew that that exact thing would happen. So why would we not play, you know, an easier defense. You get what I’m saying? Like start the game off with an easier defense. C is it’s a little bit easier to create them turnovers. Who Who’s in when they play zone, bro? If you see the pattern, you already know who’s the player that soon as they walk in, they playing zone. Who is it? Reed Shepard. Thank you. Yeah, that Yeah, that’s who that. Oh, yeah. So, what’s the that’s the easy literally that’s the easiest defense you can play for him cuz any other defense that boy be he that boy always like a a step slow. He moving in slow motion when they drop. You know, you know what they say. Um, you play zone because you can’t defend. Somebody on that that’s what I mean that’s all when I was growing up that was the always the thing. Teams runs zone when you can’t defend or you got too many weak links on the on the court. You trying to hide something. Yeah. So Stephen Adams, you can’t switch it all with him. And then and then Reed Shepard, you can’t switch everything with him. So you have to play zone. Last year we were hiding Stephven Adams in the zone with him and Shan going on the court, but they were so big and strong and smart that it became elite and a good switch up like mixup, you know, but our base defense, y’all remember me and Space and Roo would talk about it on the pause. We like to force you into oneonone ISOs, make you switch through one through five or whatever it is, force you to go iso mono with one of our guys, right? That’s that’s what we like to do. And then when we want to switch it up a little bit, we throw in that zone and then you get get you all messed up. Uh but now it’s like we really can’t do neither. All right. I Okay. I’m glad. Okay. That’s exactly what I wanted to say and I’m glad that you broke it down like that. Like it just I you could just tell right off bat that that’s exactly what it is. Like we can’t we can’t feed off of off of those one-on- ones anymore. Like and it’s kind of crazy. It’s actually it it like it makes our defense look so much less impactful as it did last year. Yeah. Because we got two two two players that needs to be hit. You know what I’m saying? Even last year when Stephen Adam because most of the time we use that double big as a like you say a curveball, right? Even when we had Jabari, I mean when we had Yeah. Jabari, Shangon, Dylan, um, Fred and Jaylen, they were still capable of switching everything because Jaylen even more he he he became a solid defender, right, by the by last year because Modoko was on him and he actually became a solid defender. Fred for his size, his hands are so quick that sometimes he lead us in blocks, right? We was a terrible shot blocking team last year and Fred led us in blocks a lot of time, even though that mean he’s just swiping down as they going up to shoot, but he wasn’t just a liability. He wasn’t a walking cone. He’ll fight through the through the hard screens. He’ll he’ll fight over or or you know draw a charge or do do whatever he had to do. But when we playing Reed and Stephen Adams at the same time, you have to go zone. If not, then you’re not going to be able to switch everything. You don’t want Stephen Adams out on Shay. You know what I’m saying? You don’t want Steven Adams out on on uh Kate Cunningham or either even Reese Shepard at that at that. You don’t want them holding these type of guys, right? So, you have to run zone. And I think theoretically Ma Adoko wouldn’t want to run zone, but he ha it almost forces his hand because of the roster construction and what we and the guys we have to play right now. It’s forcing his hand to run more zone in a double big lineup. I think we should just scrap the double big lineup to start. Like don’t start the game with this double big lineup. Can Can I say one thing? Can I say one thing? Sure. Go ahead. Um, one of the fears I have right now is that I think Eay might be actually in love with that song. I don’t think he’s in love with it. Well, cuz here’s my thing. Here’s my thing. One thing I’ve seen about E, bro, is when he latches on to one thing, bro, that man latches on to it until it don’t work no more. And I know we’ve seen that and at least his last three seasons. So, I I I 100% believe what y’all are saying, but that is also my fear is that he might be falling a little bit too in love with at times. Nah, I think Eay is pragmatic, bro. He gonna do what he think. And if the results keep is the only thing with most coaches, they they late to make adjustments. Like we may see something be like change it, but a real like a regular coach, they’re they going to wait till it’s beyond a reasonable doubt and then once they make the change, they make the change. And that could happen with if y’all remember Reed was getting minutes last year at first and he didn’t look good and then he just never got minutes again till like the end of the year. So, and I, you know, you could tell certain things like where he made leaning. One, he’s trying to get Reed integrated because they need him. I don’t think he wants to play. Reed only played 20 minutes in this game. Um, and two, he don’t trust Tar right now. Cuz the Tari that we know would have been damn near playing starter minutes, but he don’t trust him right now. So he kind of like being kind of, you know, picky about when he put him in. So now you got to see Oki come out and do some things. Watch a Kogi men start creeping up. I don’t think he wants to break the glass of Aaron Holiday cuz you know he love him some Aaron Holiday. Y know he love Aaron. He I don’t know what Aaron must got some pictures of him with a white woman or something. But he loves some Aaron Holiday. So, I know he thinking about it, but I think his job as a coach and between what the front office want, he got to get Reed, he got to play Reed. He got to get him ready. He got to prepare him. That’s his job. And and that’s we we should expect that. Like Reed should look better than he do from game to game. Uh we can’t just say, “Oh, we give up on Reed Shepard.” Nah, you may coach him up, get him right, put him in positions to be successful. Um, but my thing is right now they’re in a phase where they’re trying to figure out who they are. And I think they’re still thinking like we’re last year’s team. This is a whole different team. So, they got to figure it out. Um, and and it got to start with people understanding where they rank. Bro, we cannot be that team that think everybody’s a star. You cannot be a championship team where everybody’s the number one. Bro, we have our number ones. You got Katie, you got Shangon, and then under that you got Amen, and then everything else trickle down under that. They need to play as a team. And I I just don’t see it. And and that’s what I’m going to blame Eay for. Like, you can’t do this sometimes. Me, that stuff will not win you any any like you won’t win anything significant playing like that. Can you imagine the the the Bulls with Jordan and you got Ron Harper taking 20 shots or or the Lakers and Rick Fox Shaq and Kobe out there and he coming down pulling up, bro. Kobe might punch him in the middle of the game like Yeah, bro. It it it’s that crucial for guys to play their roles, bro. And I just feel like because we’re young, everybody wants to like get their like this is not the time to experiment with stuff. To me, you got to earn the ability to be a guy. Like, no role player should be able to feel comfortable walking down the court with the ball and pulling up with like soon as a possession start from three-pointer or or just driving down like that stuff. I mean, even you imagine James Harden and like one of the role players coming with Chris Paul and them doing that. They DJ Tucker coming down. They might choke you up like Mike Antony may have a stroke. Like that’s it’s it’s just young guy stuff. They they young. Um but to me, I want to maximize KD’s time. And to me, we got to meet in the middle, bro. Like we can’t be too young, but y’all got to grow up fast cuz we being compared to OKC now. That’s a champion. you being compared to Denver, to the Boston Celtics, you know, all these teams and and we got to leave the talks of well development this, development that you got to develop, but you got to learn. You got to catch up. We’re not slowing down for any player to learn and develop. They got to develop while we winning, not losing games because you trying to develop. Yeah. And I think I think a lot of what we seeing right now is exactly what we’re saying. And also they’re pressing because they don’t have a true point guard. They don’t they don’t have no one that’s setting. All of our guys need a setup guy. Every single one of our guys in especially in the starting lineup needs a setup guy. Which one of these guys that you could just hand the ball to and say, “Go get us a bucket.” Besides KD, even KD, he needs that guy to set him up, right? our man Thompson maybe if he can drive to the hole but most of the everybody on on our whole team needs that guy to set them up and Fred Van Vleet was the quintessential setup guy right and we don’t we’re missing that guy and now when you see this once they get the ball they like well they’re not swinging the ball and getting it and it’s not going to never find me again probably on each possession I’m going to go try to make it happen and they’re pressing and they’re trying to do it all and they’re turning the ball over or they’re taking bad shots or like Frank said, they they’ll dribble straight into the the teeth of the defense and not even commit. I didn’t see I seen Reed Shepard dribble down the court and look off KD like, bro, what are you doing? Nah, that first OKC game I I man, that was some of the most nastiest tunnel vision I’ve seen in my life, bro. He didn’t even pass the ball, bro. He didn’t even pass it one time, bro. Bro, that was some I was like KD was clapping one of the thing. He looked at him and just looked him. I was like, “Oh, man. This dude he different?” Yeah. What is he doing? You got K freaking B right here, bro. And you going to look him off and driving to And then, bro, do bro think he’s 6’8″ or 69 and I like it though. I ain’t gonna I like the mindset because that was something I criticized him for last year. Like and you know what I’m gonna say this about Reed. One thing he’s getting paint touches which is like I like he can he can like turn the corner a little bit. It’s just everything happened that happens after that is bad. But literally the baby steps like he’s getting in the paint in the teeth of the defense and like I think somebody said in the chat he’s just he just start overthinking and I don’t know he’s Yeah, he’s just got to find himself, bro. I feel like there’s a lineup that he should be in that works for him. I feel like there’s a role he can play that he’s going to develop into um that is going to be good for him. He just got to figure it out. But I I don’t feel like in crucial situations that should be the games for him to do that. The way to me, bro, if I wanted to de like help him develop, if it’s a team that we’re blowing out, then yeah, you might get But if it’s a close game, bro, I need you to be a off ball player because I feel like he he does help his space as well, like as a shooter. Like that pass Shangon had when he was on the on the block and the guy was barely trying to commit to him and he just kicked it out to Reed and Reed was damn near like three feet behind the three-point line. Yeah. Like that. Yeah. That more of that cuz he doesn’t have to think about that. But they’re just like with a man in a dunker spot. They’re trying to like force things because of where these guys were drafted. And I get it. But to me, you gota you got to walk before you start running. And I’d like him to get that amend development where the men learned from playing in a dunker spot first. At least do one thing good really good before I give you the keys to everything. And I they they just trying to force it to me. I mean me personally I don’t know what his ceiling is, right? And I know we don’t know what a lot of these guys ceiling is, but I don’t know longterm in the league what he will be because he even in college he really I mean he did one thing exceptionally well and that’s shoot. He’s more of a specialist, right? I’m not sure. Would he ever would he ever get the the defensive knack to where he’s going to not be a liability on defense? I’m not sure. Like I I just don’t know what his what is what is like where he will pan out to be. I look at him more like a Peyton Pritchard type of guy. Bring him in off the bench and let him shoot, right? and set them up for shots because you got two great ball handlers or two good people the the defense going to sag off and try to double them. Give them them open shots. Besides that, I don’t know what he going like what his ceiling would be. I feel like I feel like he could be on ball and off ball. I think off ball like like run him around some screens and try to get him open like a like they were doing with a Duncan Robinson or you would see with like a JJ Reic off ball cuz I think he I think the shooting’s going to be there like that’s going to be his special thing. The on ball thing uh is going to probably take more time. He he can handle better than that archetype of just off ball shooters. So you want to develop that in them. Um I think the mid-range is going to be legit. It’s just if this was three years ago, hey Reed, go out and tank the lineups all you want, bro. Like, good. God bless you. Like, you know what I mean? That’s bring us home, man. Yeah. Bring us, bro. Go get us Wimpy. Get us Wimpy, bro. At the same time, learn. That’s why I be trying. People don’t understand like when we talk about this stuff, it is not to denigrate the players. We like, bro, we’ve been here since the onset of all this crap from day one. So like, we’re at a different point of the of the teams, this current iteration of The Rock is their journey where the expectations are that high because one, the contract, you’re paying people real money now. You’ve made asset moves. You’ve pushed your chips in a little bit. So, it’s a little it hit a little different um about trying to win games and the expectations. So, there’s going to be less patience. And I’m if you want to show proof of that, Jaylen Green is not here anymore. So, y’all may say, “Well, give him Bro, they they [ __ ] they might trade Reed ass by the trade deadline.” Like, like for real. Not saying they would. I’m just saying that’s the we in that level of team now where things like that happen. they might just trade a couple of players and just try to get better. So, yeah, that’s all I’m saying. Like, he he just gota he just got to help us win and and whatever that looks like. But, I think they’ll be all right. It’s just going to look ugly for a little bit. It’s going to I hope you right on like his long-term projection. Um, you know, maybe he can be that like thood say or what is the last guy that Chris Paul archetype, but I don’t see him doing too much more. I’m not saying he would ever be Chris Paul, don’t get me wrong. But a baby version of, you know, Chris Paul times all defense. What is Chris Paul? Nine times all defense in script. Yeah. Nah. No, I’m not even That’s the part. Yeah. No. Yeah. He’ll never be that. You know, they lied to me, bro. Couping them. Do you remember I was about to say, do you do you remember draft night? Yeah, they they lied to me, bro. They lied to me too cuz I was like I don’t want him. Like I’m not going to even lie. I don’t want I don’t want him as crazy. But uh like I was really cuz I was like I don’t want him. And they was like no he’s he’s a Kentucky guard. He’s this and he’s that and the processing and the dribbling and he has a vertical and he can dunk and he can and then I seen some highlights and it was like okay y’all. But I think they fooled me like in the in the long run. I I I think I bought some fool’s gold, bro. I did not uh I I saw it from his draft tape. He struggled against elite guards on defense. Like they was just going through him like butter. That’s my biggest concern for him is his defense. Cuz when regardless of what his offensive upside is is if you can’t trust him to close out a a game or a close game, then that really does limit what you think he can be. The only reason you can you can bring Shangon into star and superstar talks because you can’t play him off the court anymore. And that people don’t really understand how crucial that is for a good player. That you you shouldn’t your best players shouldn’t be liabilities on defense that they got to be able to at least hold their own if they can just for even if it’s just for a few possessions. Like for example, James Harden, he was a liability a lot on defense. But if it’s in a close game, he can get down the stance and guard and try, you know what I mean? For Yeah. Birth of time. Is Reed is so small right now and not built NBA wise that even if he tries, he’s still a liability. So to me, that’s that’s that’s what scares me. And the people that were calling him Cocaine Curry, y’all need y stop it. Just stop it. Okay. I just don’t like I just don’t like guys any type of guy that you can just scheme off the floor, right? You can put a certain lineup out there and they’re no good no more. You have to go sit them down like certain bigs, right? And we see this all the time in the playoffs like DeAndre Aiden and certain guys that just can’t be out there when it when it when it’s crunch time. Like you said, I don’t like guys that you can just put out a certain lineup and you scheme them off the floor and they’re no good to you no more. Now you just got a, you know, a guy that you just can’t play. Even Clint Capella to a certain extent when we was playing those Warrior series and stuff, he was unplayable. He was unplayable. He was, they was able to go small and scheme him and put Andre Godalo, whoever, at the center or Draymond Green. And he’s no good for you for four out of the seven game series. You know what I’m saying? Like, and I think a real conversation, bro. Yeah. I think Reed is that type of guy. Like even when I think because we know the the guards these days, bro, and these are these people that he’s going to be having to guard. The Shayes and the John Morants, Young, Trey Young’s, and these type of guys, bro. He’s going to get schemed off the floor if he don’t take a dramatic leap in, you know, defense, bro. And I just think it’s it’s I don’t know. I’m I’m I don’t know his ceiling, bro. And I don’t think just because you can shoot that that garners a third round overall pick. I would rather take a high athletic guy who can’t shoot as good, but then with that athleticism, he can do so much more. You know what I’m saying? You can scheme him. You can do schemes and you can you can teach him how to you can coach him up on defense because he got the athleticism to make up ground and he can, you know, do all kinds of stuff just with his athleticism. I’m not sure if you just get a take a number three pick cuz he can shoot a three ball good and his and he’s 61. I don’t think that that that part um I mean I’m not I I mean in retrospect obviously you had Stefan Castle and uh there were other there were players out there but I’m not I’m not mad at the pick itself. Um, I just expected, um, cuz if we were even even like when Jaylen was young, um, you could see he struggled on a lot of dissimilar things. Um, and it took him a couple years to really start developing and obviously when Eay came that accelerated a lot. Um, uh, and he had a lot of mistakes, but like I said, it’s all relative to expectations. So, but Jaylen’s 66 and athletic. Yeah, that’s that’s what I was also saying that helped Jaylen throughout his career being able to guard on he was able to guard guards because of his athleticism. He was struggling any like wings or bigs. Obviously, he was tiny, but since day like day one, you could put him on John Mor, right? And not and just to be like, you got J. He may die on the screens. He may, you know what I mean? He may make some, but if it’s just like staying in front of him or running with them, he could do that. Reed doesn’t have that luxury because he’s not that level of athlete. So everything he does, he has to be like the Fred Van Vleet role. The only thing is um what Bro said earlier like Fred was gritty and tough even as an undersized guard, even as a like as a young player. Fred was young playing in them championship games. Uh so like but he had that that Fred was a dog. He’s always been a dog. That is who he is. He’s tough. Um, to be small in the NBA, you got to be some kind of like crazy and tough. And I I just need bro to just to just get there. I think he will. I think he got the right coach for sure because he ain’t gonna see the floor if Eay don’t if uh if he ain’t going to see the floor if if he don’t get right with E. He may don’t play that. So, but I I think he, you know, he’s he’s just somebody that’s been thrust into a light that he shouldn’t be in front of person. I mean, Tar Een, he that’s a guy like I expect a lot more from. And like you said earlier, bro, the contract thing I think is looming in his head. Um, and I am a bit like the his uh choices that he makes on the court, they don’t seem to have gotten better year to year, like with some of the like the decision- making. And to me, that’s his biggest issue is like being smart on the court and making good decisions. And it’s year four for him and he’s still making some of like the oh my god, what are you doing, bro? Uh type of plays. Um you know, so and Jabari, I think Jabari is doing fine. He’s just doing too much sometime. I think Jabari looked looked okay. He got a little picked on. Kade was cooking him a little bit. Um but it it’s it’s going to be a long journey with them. I feel like we’re leaning too much on a bunch of young players right now. Um, and I feel like it it’s too much. Like it’s too much for them and they may need to back off a little bit and kind of integrate them a little bit more slowly into what they’re trying to do. I’m not talking about like Jabari and Tar and them obviously with is Reed and then getting a men back to his spot where he can play on ball in certain stretches and certain lineups and he can play off ball in certain lineups. But I guarantee they going to get there. Eay is just really slow at at what he does. Yeah. Well, I’mma read this super chat, then I’mma go to John Trey. We got my boy EF Hutton in the building. What’s up, EF? EF. Um, Devin, I mean, he must have heard you. He What’s good with it, man? I snuck up on you guys, man. Y’all try to sneak in the back do, man. But I caught you. Caught you red, man. Oh man, Deon 95 man, appreciate the super chat. Uh I think he was thinking along the same line you was Frank when you said mentioned Castle because he he had u super chatted this right before and he said we could have had Castle. Yeah, I ain’t gonna start doing the we could have game but I was on the team trade back draft Dalton connect and just you know but I’m I’m glad we got Reed though. I don’t know if you’re glad. I think that’s kind of cap right there. But hey, I gotta say I gotta hedge a little bit. Hedging it. John Trey, what’s good, man? Yo, what it do, man? Long time no talk. No. What’s going on, man? Good to see you, fam. Man, on these last two games, man. They looking like like they playing AAOU basketball. I don’t know what’s going on. They all out there lost. No plays being called, bro. We going back. God dog. Bro, man. Looking like we looking like we we we we all look confused there. It’s like it’s it’s nothing. We It’s like they they dang jelling. They ain’t jelling together, bro. And it’s like it’s it’s I know. I understand. is a process, but like we we we in the bad we in bad shape, man. Teams are getting better. And for us to try to try to last to December to see if these guys going to be able to play that point guard position, man, it’s going to be a it’s going to be a long long season for us, man. Like, I already can tell. Like, I I I don’t like our man Thompson. I need him to be free. I need I need him to get back to that freelancing, man. That point guard is stressing him out. He His defense ain’t the same. I know it’s just two games, but I’m just speaking, man. His defense ain’t the same. He impressing. He catching cramps in the first game. They got him doing too much. He They They got him doing too much. Um, Tory East man is just like I’m at I’m at the point to where like I don’t know what to say about the dude, man. Like he ain’t there. Like I didn’t watch him. I’m And the crazy thing about I’m I’m watching his demeanor as I’m watching the game. I’m watching I’m watching his demeanor because I’m I’m I’m more trying to see and he look like he ain’t he don’t look like he happy no more here. He ain’t smiling. I don’t I I don’t know, bro. But I I I got to just say, man, Shane Gon, he had a good game the first game, but he struggles hard against against stronger centers. He just still have that issue. He could he could have and then he then the hard thing about it, he don’t realize how to play against centers he can’t score in the paint with. His mid-range is getting better. He steed forcing stuff, trying to force it in the paint instead of taking that that shot that they giving him. He steed trying to draw fouls. It’s just it’s just man we f to have a long season if they don’t if they don’t figure out what they going to do with that point guard position man like cuz Kevin Durant he can’t save us bro he couldn’t save no team he couldn’t save couldn’t save Brooklyn he couldn’t save um Phoenix like he can’t save us bro if we don’t get nobody that can take the load off of the for the offense man to flow and try not to experiment we ain’t we ain’t trying to experiment with this point guard situation Not with no Arman Thompson. You’re right. Let me ask you a question. And I bet you because I think you expected this, John Trey. Right. When Fred Van Vleet went down, what was your first thoughts? I I was I was disappointed. I’m like, yes. And why was you disappointed? Because we didn’t have no backup. Quo. Thank you. Thank you. So, so this is kind of expected when he when he went down, right? Cuz I said the same thing. I think every all of Rocky’s fan base hearts dropped and was like, “Oh my goodness, what are we going to do?” Because Amanda is clearly not ready and we know for sure Reed is not ready. And this goes back some when we started getting all the wings and not trying to go get no backup point guard. We instead of getting wings, we getting oki, we getting we getting all these wings and and not not not preparing if a injury might happen with Fred. Nobody expected it, but we ain’t we why we didn’t go get no backup point guard. I rather Drew Holiday now and I didn’t know and I don’t even and I was already over on him but and he a shooting guard but it just like we out there just playing like like Eidoka just saying y’all go out there and run fast. Ain’t no offense. It’s just it just I don’t know. That’s all I got to say, man. We It’s two games, but I’m hoping that I’m hoping that we can we can we can we can we can survive until we can do something because we not we not no threat. We not no threat with this big lineup. This big lineup ain’t gonna work. It’s not gonna work. They need to push Shang going back at the center. It’s not gonna work. And and and I don’t want to go I don’t want I know we going to win against Brooklyn, but I don’t want to I don’t want to have to go through this whole season, I mean this whole first half of first quarter of season trying to experiment. We know what we need. If we trying to, we ain’t bring KD to to waste a year. I don’t care what it is. Oh, we got him another. We just signed him extending him. We ain’t wasting this year. So, if y’all going to have to figure it out, y’all going to have to get rid of Tory. Y’all going to have to get rid of Reed to to to uh get rid of um Fred contract, man. We gonna have to do something cuz it ain’t looking too good. Teams are getting better. Wimi over there looking like I don’t know what to say, man. Wimby looking crazy. Hakee helping him and stuff. Oh, traitor. That’s my favorite player. Oh, traitor. You’re helping out. But nah, but yeah, Wimby is looking cold right now. Um, I agree. I agree with with every point every point you made, bro. Um, I don’t think it’s time to panic, you know? I I wouldn’t push the panic button yet, but we we we can’t keep on doing it like this. And I and I agree like KD is only getting older. We can’t waste a KD season. And maybe it’s overreaction to our part right now. Or maybe we seen enough of Adoka to know he’s not the one to really cuz we How long have we been really How long have we been asking for a backup a true backup point guard? Ever since last year, we’ve been asking for a true backup point. Even when we got Fred, we was like, “All right, now who’s going to play backup?” You know what I’m saying? Like, is he not trying to ch change it up or do they have that much faith in our man? Do they really see him as a true point guard in the long run? I don’t know. I I don’t know. I think something’s something have to give though. You know what I mean? What you think about the big lineup? I hate it without a point guard. I don’t like this big lineup. I liked it last year because it was in spurts and it was a curveball. I don’t think we should start start it. I think it’s a nice almost gimmicky lineup. I don’t I wouldn’t call it a gimmick because it do produce great numbers, right? Especially last year it and it helped us towards the end of the season to be the number two seed. I don’t think that we should start have a starting lineup that big. I don’t think it’s complimentary, especially when you lack a point guard, you know, a true point guard. I don’t I don’t like it right now. I think we should scrap it till we get a veteran point guard that can sort through all this mess and know how to use the big bodies to their advantage. Right now, our our guards, they don’t know how to use their big bodies that’s in there to their advantage. It’s a hindrance to him right now. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It looking bad out there for it, bro. It’s looking bad. Hey, uh what up, EF? Go ahead, bro. I ain’t know if you get or Who you trading tonight? Hey, look. I said I’mma give uh what I said. I said I’mma give Fred and Reed about five games before I find out who I wanted to trade. And so at this point, you know, we about three games away. Both of them getting traded in my book. I’m looking for uh John Trey, man. We got all these wings like we going to Timmy Chan, man. We got We got all these wings that we got that six piece wing special, bro. Timmy Chan wings, man. Now we got We got a lot of wings. But I tell you I tell you the hill I’m I’m willing to die on and I’m probably one of the only few Rockers fans that’s gonna say this. But um I like the big lineup to start off the games because without that big lineup, if you notice tonight, you know, the big lineup wasn’t what kept us. It was the miss shots. We missed a lot of shots. We had guys out there rebounding. You know, if and if it wasn’t for the big lineup, if it wasn’t for Stephen Adam, just like in the OKC game, if it wasn’t for Steven Adams, we would have been out that OKC game the whole time we was leading. And the whole reason we led at all in that OKC game was because of Steven Adams. In this game, it was similar because um you know, Tory Tory played a horrible game, but he did have four rebounds. Steven Adams had four rebounds early. you know, it was the rebounding and the brute force that even kept us in this game to where we had a chance to fight back in it. So, I mean, I think I think that the difference is when people see the starting lineup, they feel like that’s the lineup that we run a lot and then people automatically say, “Oh, yeah, we running the zone.” But that’s not what happened tonight. We had the big line in there. But we didn’t run a lot of zone at first and we definitely didn’t run a lot of zone at um in the end. We started to run more zone. We started to trap and speed up the pace. Um and and but it wasn’t the big lineup that beat us. It was just guys missed a ton of shots, bro. We got the shots we wanted and obviously Emma Yodoka ain’t a great offensive coach, but we got a ton of shots. Guys missed a ton of shots and I think they have, you know, they going to make those shots. LP was windy. LP was holding his legs in the f like at the end of the first quarter living, you know, doing the Jordan at the free throw line at the at the end of the first quarter. He was gassed. So it obviously that comes from not having a point guard and having to run a lot of point guard but that’s what we’ve been asking of LP for the past two years. Goonhub Shangonhub everybody Jackson you know my boy Jackson Gatlin Shangon Hub you know he I think he coined the phrase Shangon Hub and we’ve been saying you know I I call him Big Manu I call him Big Gobi you know um oh he baby Yokicage what everybody else call him and everybody but when we say Shangonhub Yeah. I don’t mean to cut you off. We mean, we mean that drop it down to him. Entry pass, let him do his thing and then, you know, after the double team come kick it out and dish and and do what he not just not just he he running James. They got him bringing the ball up the court. Ain’t no damn Shang Shangon hub Shangon Harden. Nah, we talking about DHOs. We talking about half court. type [ __ ] Yeah. Yeah. Just half court like run the offense like what they try to do in the second half when they started going to him screening for uh for KD and getting him on a short roll and making those like smart stuff like that, bro. Anytime he got a dribble or they got a fight and get pushed out of and I think Eay said about in the post conference that the Pistons were doing a good job pushing him off their spot and they made everything just hard. like even trying to get positioning on the post up you they were fighting and uh you just got to you know we just got out we got punked in that scenario though but yeah that’s Shangonhub is not whatever we’re doing right now I don’t know what that is nah that ain’t what we that ain’t the Shangun hub we was talking about and then to your point right and about the big lineup the reason why it’s not conducive is because it slows the game down and it forc us into half court sets. When we go into half court sets, the best player that you I mean not the best player, but the most important player that you can have is a point guard that know how to run these half court sets, know how to get us into the actions quick. We lack that. So, it’s it’s not conducive to the style of play that we should be playing without a point guard. Even when we had KPJ, he wasn’t real a real point guard. And I hate to bring up the silence era, but they they tried to avoid half court sets as much as possible. It was just run run and gun move, keep it moving, keep it moving. You know what I’m saying? And that’s why Silas didn’t really like Shangon because Shangon when he’s in there, you have to dump the ball down to him, right? And he slows the game down. And we didn’t have the personnel really to even really, we wasn’t good, right? But with these double bigs, it slows the game down. Now it forces them to have core sets and then we don’t have a point guard to run these half court sets efficiently. That’s why it’s not conducive. I got you. So EF, think about this. Last year when what what was our number one action that we spammed? DHO. Well, we had a lot of pick and roll. No, with Fred Fred and Shangon pick and roll, right? Yeah, pick and roll. Right. And so you think about the position of the players when they win double bigs. Adams would be camped out in the dunker spot and his job was to just box out and rebound. And that’s that’s he the best at doing that. Right. And then you would have Dylan and Jabari or Dylan and uh Jaylen, whoever the two is somewhere spacing. So when you have Shangon as the screener and you get into the pick and roll action, he’s either probably attacking another player, a team’s big, Adams is there boxing out the power forward, right? But that action is a pick and roll. And the pick and roll wasn’t great, but we ran it at least competently enough that the double big was being utilized because Adam Stephen Adams offensive contribution is just boards. Now what we’re doing is you have Adams out there but you’re not running pick and rolls. So guess what we’re running? We’re running ISOs. When Adams if if if ShenGun is not is is not being a screener in a pick and roll, Adams is not the screener in a pick and roll. Guess what their men are doing? Sitting in the paint. Yeah. So you clogging it up. You’re not drawing out the other big it. You take away the advantage of Steven Adams that he normally brings because there’s two bigs in there with him. And then Shangon, they got him as a spacer now. So, it it’s just to Space’s point, that double big lineup only makes sense if you are running an action that draws out the other big out the paint. If you trying to just give KD the ball and just stand there, bro, that’s nasty work for KD. If you trying to give a man the ball and just stand there and let him try to beat a guy off the dribble, that’s nasty work. Hell, if you trying to do it for Shangon, that’s nasty work. It’s nasty work all the way around. They need a guard, bro. Like, bad. Oh yeah, definitely that. But no, this my only point. My only point is in these games where we start off and we playing teams that’s more physical or we missing a ton of shots or we really need to set the tempo. I don’t I like starting the lineup because it mucks up the game for those guys and it make them change their game plan. So if you if you think about the OKC game, you know, the thing was, okay, they gonna run, they gonna get out in transition. They gonna be physical, but you can’t be physical with Stephen Adams. Steven Adams plays good defense. He got that early block for us. You know, even tonight when they was trapping, Stephen Adams was the one cutting off a lot of trap. And it just it just, you know, murky up the game, muck up the game a lot and cause a guy cause them to change their they game plan. And then, you know, then you take them out and go to something different. So, I mean, it it’s not that I’m saying we that need to be our main go-to offense. I mean, our main go-to scheme or whatever, but the thing was is that when they pulled Steven Adams out, we was still going slow. We was still We was still no spacing, you know. Okay. Is is is can you tell me if if Reed Shepard is actually faster than Steven Adams? Like, can you tell by looking? I mean, I know he is, but by looking, can you tell me? I mean, yeah. I mean, yeah, you can. But to your to your point about the mucky up, you you tr It’s true. It does mucky it up, right, but it also mucky it up for us. You don’t want to It’s a double score. You know what I’m saying? It mucky it up for the uh opposing team, but it also mucky it up for us. Yes, it does. You know what I’m saying? So, what is it really benefiting if it’s doing this? If it’s working against you just as much as it’s working for you. You know what I’m saying? Yeah. I mean, but y’all can y’all can’t say y’all ain’t y’all weren’t skeptical about that big lineup. Y’all y’all ain’t think like people like Shade, people like good point guards was going to pick us apart, bro. They was going to pick it apart because on what the bigs, they can only do so much, man, on a on a defense. And when you got a good point guard and you got two big big centers and it’s just it gonna pick you apart. They they already planning out They already been planning out how to how to beat us, bro. The bigs about how to beat. Then they look good in the playoffs, though. To me, that’s what like I thought the Warriors would be theoretically the worst matchup for it, but they they But to me, it only work if you got one person on the other team that can’t shoot. So, you could cheat off of them. If you got five guys that can shoot out there, then yeah, they’re going to tear it up. But if if you got one guy you could cheat off, then that lineup is is going to be do a lot of damage cuz I thought Steph Curry was going to tear it up. And he struggled against it for the for most the most part of the playoffs. So once I seen that, I was like, well damn damn near anybody could I don’t think Shay went off. Shay was just cooking an ISO. He was cooking dudes one by one. Just you come get yours. So you know I mean I’m with EF a little bit. I’m I agree with Space. It shouldn’t be. I don’t like we starting in it. That’s my only issue. I like it as a as like, okay, now we got you. We going to switch it up. But I don’t like that as our starting lineup. You know what I mean? We could use that when we up when we when we winning for defensive or when you down. That’s what he used to do last year. When we was down, he throw that out there. Change it up the game. Now you in a zone instead of playing whatever we was playing. Teams got to It’s kind of weird for them. But to me, when you start off with it, they get used to it. then you can’t really switch it. You know what I mean? It’s like they already used to it from jump. So it’s not a the curveball that you want it to be. It’s like we used to it now. Exactly. Yeah. But yeah, go ahead. Yeah. Do y’all feel like we need to bring a offensive mindset coach in the game? Cuz I’m I’m telling you, it’s starting to look like we ain’t running no plays. like we just a team just playing like like I don’t know. We ain’t run no plays and and it’s at least at least when KD was with the Warriors, they ran plays still. They they ran plays. It’s just like we just out there playing basketball, bro. Like no plays is being called. He called the dumbest play to get Jabar the last shot in the first game. Like it just the offense is just stagnated, bro. It’s stagnated. It’s just not going to work, man. It’s not going to work against play good teams, bro. Like, that offense is too stagnated, bro. And and a man can’t shoot still. He ain’t really just no knock down shooting and and you got you it just ain’t going to work. You just got to I don’t know that that offense is is is horrible, bro. It’s it’s real horrible. KD did did his best, but it’s not going to work. I don’t know. I hope I hope his stubborn the way how stubborn E may is. I hope he don’t stick with this lineup, bro. I hope he don’t stick up stick with it to try to be like and force it because it’s not going to work. We might win a couple, but it’s not it’s it’s it’s not it’s not championship. It not it ain’t that type of level of of of I mean that lineup can’t get us nowhere. It’s not going to get us nowhere. We first round exit again. Frank, you want to uh Yeah. Um comment on at least the offensive coordinator thing. Nah, I mean, we’ve been saying that for three years. I don’t think it’s going to happen. But I think you can get you a guard this year that’s that that know how to know how to read the game at a high level that can score, can facilitate if that should be the move they should make because they got everything else ready honestly. U they got everything else ready. That’s that’s what the team is missing. They got wings galore. You got a one of the most talented bigs in the league. You got a closer. You really just need a guard that’s like gonna use all those tools and be able to distribute the ball and get guys in position. Um so yeah, I wish you I this not a championship roster. Like if you relying on a second year player and a thirdyear player that are not traditionally point guards as NBA standards and you’re trying to groom him into then you’re you’re not really trying to win no championships doing that. Um but uh they just they just need they just need to make a couple moves. That’s why I think they are going to make a couple move cuz they ain’t bring KD to just throw this. I don’t care about that’s what I’m saying. Yeah. They they ain’t bring KD to throw. Even though we got an unexpected injury, they didn’t they going to make a move. I’m guarantee you. They giving these guys the opportunity. So it don’t look like they didn’t never give Reed the opportunity. They ain’t gave a mean the opportunity to play point guard. So when when the time come and they realize that KD is is starting to realize that he came over here to play with Fred and Fred unfortunately got hurt and no point guard again just like he was in Phoenix. We just he they going to get a point guard. I just don’t know who it’s going to be and I hope it’s a star level point guard because we need somebody to to come in and be able to fit in real quick. We don’t need no backup point guards, none of that because Arman Thompson is not ready for that point guard position. So, we need a starter level point guard. And I don’t know who y’all think, but I don’t know. I’ll take a good backup point guard right now. Just a good like a good backup point guard like that ain’t that ain’t going to push the needle for the championship though. Yeah. I mean, cuz I don’t think we need a highlevel, you know what I’m saying? Because then you you’re talking about giving up assets like a lot of assets. You’re talking about that type of guy. If you want that high level, who Well, who who’s out there? Who who you going to get if you’re not if you’re going to have to go and trade for somebody? He’s You said a starting point guard. You know what I’m saying? A starting point guard, they’re being utilized on their teams, right? Even if you got to see who’s going to end up tanking and this and that and then they gonna still want assets because now they’re tanking. Ain’t nobody just giving up starting point guards. Yeah, but we got the we got the assets to get them because we ain’t got no years to wait. We ain’t got no years to wait. So some of them players going to have to go. They going to have to they going to have to go. Even Even even if it’s Fred Fred going to have to just accept the fact, bro, we ain’t we can’t wait. We ain’t trying to wait next year. If you ain’t ready If you ain’t ready about playoffs, man. We trying to we trying to win. We trying to I just don’t want to upset the apple cart and then we get rid of, you know, cuz a starting point guard, they going to want a starter. They ain’t going to just take anything. So now we’re going to have to take one of the pieces out of a starting lineup and then we going to be lacking somewhere else. It’s going to be Fred Fred’s contract with either Taria or Reed and then a bunch of picks. Somebody gonna want Jabari. Nah, they gonna get Jabari. They gonna get the the uh That’s what they gonna want first round pick. It’s gonna be a bunch of first round picks. Like probably Yeah. pigs and contract money cuz if you giving them picks is really premium. We got some good picks. Yeah, we do. We got the We got I don’t know who’s who’s out there that’s like But you never know with the NBA. It’s a soap opera. One minute everything cool, then another minute the team trying to blow it up. So, um I I don’t think to me like if you get just you don’t to me we don’t need a star. If you get uh I I wish Fred was help white. I want white. That’s I don’t think Celtics giving him up. If they do they take they probably clean us up. Well, Jacobe White Jacob Jacobe White is probably talking about Derek White. I’m talking about Derek White. I’m not talking about too good. They gonna they gonna want some. They going. Yeah, that’s 30 million. I mean, Fred and Fred and Tori would do it for 30 million, whatever he make, but I don’t think they giving him up because they trying to they trying to reestablish when Tatum come back. Yeah. But Kobe Kobe White is like 12 million. That’s that’s easily reachable with Jun Tate and Tar East or something. Yeah. You got to think of guys like that. Those kind of the guy. Go ahead, Frank. Where’s the the Aaron Fox at? He hurt. Bro, you Bro, why you you Why you in my head? I swear. I was about to say, well, we just have to wait on Darren Fox to get a little bit more disgrown with Sacramento. No, he in San Antonio, right? Oh, man. He in San Antonio. Yeah, he did. But he ain’t playing cuz And they got Where is he at? They gave him a contract extension. He makes $60 million. Yeah, he makes 60 million. Oh, never mind. Let him. Yeah, I forgot he did get my mind. The guy to keep a eye on is and and and this is something that um I heard somebody say and I thought I thought it’s it was put actually in an article. I read it is Jay Na’vi. Jay Na’vi is cleared the play and it could almost be an even swap between him and Tara. Wait, I thought he was hurt. No, he cleared he cleared he he got hurt last year in January and he’s cleared the play, but they haven’t said when he’s going to be put back on the court. But he not going to get no point going road with K playing MVP level. So you know they ain’t going to give up Jaden. They might. They might for the right price, but they gonna clean you up for that. Well, it’ll be like a Jaylen Green type thing. Where did Jaylen go for KD and so Katie was Jaylen and Dylan and what picks? Suns picks. Yeah, it’ll probably be I don’t think Ivy gonna garnish that though. Yeah, maybe not as much. I think Jaylen was way better than him. But um it’ll be some sign. Yeah, I wouldn’t be mad at Jaden, but I don’t think he’s mature enough for the team that I’m trying to build. Uh he he he actually just had a procedure done on him last week. Oh, okay. See you. No, no, we last week. Yeah, last week. That’s why he’s not playing right now, man. Give me the the what’s the what’s the guy uh TJ McConnell? Like somebody like that, bro. I just some I just need somebody that know how to run a pick and roll, bro. Yeah, TJ McConnell would be perfect. Bro, what’s little buddy name for the Wizards? He was like, the Wizards got so many point guards right now. Uh, Jones or what is his name? Not the one that was gambling, huh? Nah. Nah. Okay. Uh, nah, we don’t need them type of Hey, but at this point, you don’t know who gambling at this point, bro. At this point, let’s see what he up to. At this point, I’d rather rush. How’s the rest though? You said you tripping. Hell no. I love rest, but hell no. No, I’m not rest. Yeah, y’all talking about CP3 and rest in the chat. Nah, y’all tripping. I ain’t gonna lie, bro. I didn’t think about James, bro. I was like, you see what James is doing, bro. I mean, could be worse than Ree Shepard. No, he ain’t no I mean at least he’s gonna give us good passing and in in in some offense, but that’ll that’ll blow up the team. I think I don’t want none of that. I don’t want none of that. Nobody who throw games or point shave or none of that. None of that. They need to investigate him. That’s if we talking about gambling. Some of the games he had in the playoffs, bro. Yeah. Some FBI need to be on James Ardam. Dang. Now Frank want to send him to jail. God about about James Harden throwing games. Oh man. Hey, some of that stuff he them games that he had was criminal. They was criminal. They was criminal. You know 40 last night. You got six points and 15 turnovers. Like come on. So So what’s the what’s the chances of Trey? Man, they gonna trade. I I We just don’t know when, but it’s too early. What’s the chance? Usually, we’ll find out by like December when at least 30 games been played or 40. We’ll we’ll know who’s who should be on the trading block or who looking like they going to trade. Yeah, we going we we’ll get something. He talking He talking about Trey Young. He talking about Trey Young. Oh, Trey. Oh, Trey. I thought you said Trey. What’s the chances of getting him, bro? I think, man. Look, man. I don’t know. I don’t know. But Trey gonna try to They going to break the bank for Trey, bro. Yeah, he making a lot of money. I don’t even know if we can trade for him with the C. I’m not even sure. Uh I mean, there’s here’s what’s going to happen. You got to wait and thug it out and hope they just figure some stuff out at work. the NBA the way it is, there’s gonna be a couple teams that got love and aspirations right now to win and they’ll find out they’re bad in like three weeks and they’ll start being sellers. It might be us. God damn it. But we shopping KD already like a [ __ ] Yeah, hopefully it’s not. But you know, that’s how it is. You’ll find it. So, it’s really hard to say who right now cuz everybody think they going to win a championship when the season start except a couple teams that know they tank. Yeah. But most of the league is like they in the honeymoon phase. Give about like like Space about December. People get realistic. They’ll start thinking about the draft and that’s when you’ll see who shake loose. Oh, I got it. I mean, he old veteran straight. Put it Mike Connley. Let’s go get Connley or somebody like that. Why not? You think Minnesota just for filler? Yeah, I think. Yeah, he’s a starter, right? Don’t he start for now? I don’t think he start, do he? Oh, they benched him. Or are they trying to give uh the other Duke guard? Yeah, they guard. Yeah, I don’t think he start. Uh what’s the name start? The little dude. Dante. Dante. Oh, Deveno starting point guard. Oh yeah, that’s a move. What about Peyton Pritchard? Nah, we might as well run with Reed. Now Payton, he I like Payton. I do like Payton. He play the playoffs. Pick up. So bye right now. And Connley only played nine minutes today. So So I got a question for everybody right now. So by December, what’s what record is panic record? Like what record you’ll be more in panic mode? Is it 500? Anything under 500? Yeah, 500. There’s if we can if we can write the ship, if we can just hold par, right, for let’s say we the fifth, six seed, you know what I’m saying? I think we still in good shape. We’ll be like, y’all remember last year we lost to the Magic, the Pelicans. I forgot what the first three we were like and like 0 and three. Yeah. We lost against the Hornets that day. The Hornet. Yeah, the Hornets. It looked bad, but they it took time for them to figure it out and we end up the second seed. So, that’s why I feel like this year is going to be similar. Okay. So, the OKC game showed you like this team is legit. Um like we we’re a good team. It’s not it’s not a fluke. It’s just And even in this game, as bad as we played, it was down to one possession in the fourth quarter. So, and to me, Eay played some lineups that lost the game and Reed Shepard lost the game and some some of his minutes out there. He did a lot of dumb stuff. So, it’s like I know him. I don’t know why he’s like this. He does this to start the year where he does all this random stuff. As the season goes on, he going to cut that down rotation about eight guys. And some of these guys we see him playing a lot of minutes are not going to get a lot of minutes. Some of those lineups will not exist anymore. and then they gonna start winning and stringing together like wins after wins. So, it’s gonna come down. I don’t expect Shangon to play this bad uh almost nights. And um I think the Pistons just a unique team for him between uh Duran uh Stewart. I mean, they just got so many strong dudes. It’s like Yeah. So, I I don’t I think we’ll be straight. But yeah, five if we 500 around mid December, bro. Yeah. And this is this probably a first round team, which you know that that’s I don’t know what they’re going to do after that. You already got KD here. Your next move would be to trade Fred and try to go make a big splash move and get another like a the point guard is really the only hole I see. Like that’s that’s the hole. It’s just a point guard. You just need a guard. And not even a two guard. Hell, anybody like cuz Dylan and Jaylen were both uh capable ball handers. Yeah. Yeah. They, you know, Dylan played point guard at Memphis in some some of his seasons there. So, it’s he was he helped in that department. He could operate in a half court and attack closeouts. And Jaylen was we were grooming him for years years to be our point guard. Like he was looking like Reed his first year, but he’s four four years in. We were grooming him to be the point guard. So, he could handle the ball. And And he was a I mean, quiet is kept. if he didn’t have that playoff series. I know that people want to romanticize, but to me, he probably scared the Rockets with how just how bad he looked. He looked just out of there, bro. Um, but I liked his development in his the year last year in the season as a whole. Like, he was showing a lot of promise um in his game. Um, you just got to be able to rely on a guy, your leading scoreer in the playoffs. And I think the Rockets just they were scared by what he showed because you start getting into paying people big money. You you want some consistency. So we just need a guard. This was even if Fred was healthy, this was always going to be an issue. As soon as the trade happened, this was an issue. And because Fred was not going to play 82 games and I never trusted a man Thompson and Reed Shepard to do this job that you got a a championship level guard that’s that’s that’s holding it down for you. You need you need somebody that’s that’s done the job before at least to even help them grow. So uh they gonna have to make a move, bro. I I can’t see a world where they don’t. If they don’t, it’ll be malpractice. Yeah. We if we if we find we need we we we really got to make a move, man. We got to go get somebody that we got to We got to send some ship something off. We got to ship something off. We 500 by December. But what I’m afraid is Eidoka so stubborn even if we like a little bit above 500. He’ll he’ll feel like we don’t need to make no move, which I don’t care we is above 500 by December. I just don’t see us I just don’t see us competing in the playoffs too much with with no with no with without no veteran point guard. No no no no no no no point guard cuz they going they going to figure it out. They going to figure out how to beat us without a point guard. They going to press up on them. They going to press up on them and and it’s going to be real ugly. It’s going to be real ugly. I really don’t think Udoka is emotionally attached to any of these guys. Maybe maybe maybe Shangon and KD, but I don’t think he’s emotionally attached to none of these guys. I think he want to win a championship, you know, and and I think I I haven’t heard nothing, so don’t quote me on this. I think it’s more on Udoko while Jaylen is gone than like Stone because GM never want to give up on a number two pick and then that’s admitting he’s a like he failed at you know drafting a number two pick. I don’t think Emma do care. He want to win and if it takes getting rid of these and most coaches don’t like to groom young players anyway. You know what I’m saying? They think college should have did that. the contract is at risk. I mean, I feel like and it ain’t because I don’t think I don’t I just don’t think MA is gonna I just don’t think MA is going to stop being point guard and trying to play defense. He ain’t going to he ain’t going to be that high level player like last year. His defense going to fall off and he ain’t going to reach no max contract. So, not saying that he can’t be a two-way player, but that’s a mess. It’s going to be hard for him to get a match contract trying to play point guard, trying to learn point guard and still bring that same type of defensive mentality that he did last year. So, it’s really like it’s like a a like like a I don’t know. I don’t see it. I don’t see it. Yeah. I don’t think he may care, bro. I ain’t gonna lie. I don’t think he make is attached. I’m with Space. I think he been trying to break up some of this team probably since he got here. Um, and I think Stone is the one that has an attachment to the players more than anything. Um, and yeah, I I think Eay was trying to get some guys moved out the first season when he was talking about they need more shooting and they need this and that. And remember there was rumors that they were in disagreement about keeping the roster intact. Uh, so, uh, yeah, I don’t think he he he’s the one that got KD, bro. And KD said it like Eay is the reason he came here. Um, and I’m sure E’s been once they, you know, he coached him in Boston in uh, uh, New Brooklyn. So, he got Katie. So, to space his point, not that we know anything, but a plus, you know, one plus one equals two. Like, you want Katie, you coach KD, you want to go get him, and Jaylen gone. Yeah, by my math, that means you were perfectly okay with that happening. So, I don’t think I I don’t think he’s emotionally like, oh, we gota I don’t think he cares, bro. I think bro trying to win and he’s just trying to win with with guys that he trusts. So, uh I think if the right move is out there, uh they going to try to make it. But there’s a competing priority with the GM where the GM you drafted these guys you that’s your reputation and once you trade a guy you drafted and high high in the round you basically admitting that you you you know you made a that’s that’s a fail. Yeah. That’s why I feel like that’s why I feel like nobody’s untouchable on that on that roster besides KD bro and Shangon. I don’t think I’m at the point to where nobody’s untouchable when it comes down to it. Because why would you bring KD over here knowing that we trying to win, but you trying to you trying to you trying to hold players that ain’t producing off just off potential. We ain’t going off potential no more. So I feel like ain’t nobody untouchable besides KD. Um um I think a man I don’t think I don’t think they going to touch him. I don’t think a man go nowhere. A man ain’t going nowhere, bro. They was even, bro, it made Duka his contract. They was even floating out Shangon trades like we was in rumbles. Like, can he possibly trade Shangon? You know what I’m saying? Like, it might have changed since his last, you know, his Allstar, you know, breakout year. And yeah, they’ve been trying. We seen we seen him do his thing over in Euro Basketball, whatever. I think they probably adjusted, you know, their expectations, but at first they was like, man, I think ML Doco was ready to ship off all the young guys, man. Truthfully, think think about what think about what uh what Frank just said though. Well, both of y’all said is is Stone reputation on the line. So, when Stone came out and kicked the can to kick the can down the road on Eay, when he said Reed Ship has got to be very good for us, period. That’s just like when your boss come in and tell you, “Hey, this got to get done XYZ.” That mean if if you don’t get it done, you going your head gonna roll before mine. Yeah. So, so, so when Stone came out and said that, I took that as him telling Eay, hey, look, if Re Sheper don’t be successful, your head gonna roll before mine roll. But the only thing the only thing I would say about that just a push back I think the um Fertittas got MA back and I think they’ll give up stone before they give up MA. You know what I’m saying? It’s only one EA. You know what I’m saying? Some of these these these coaches they’re in they’re premium bro to get these type. You got a star coach. Yeah. Why do you think KD is here? Because of Stone? No. So yeah, that’s that’s I I think that if anybody get moved, if if it was between Eay and Stone and it came down to it, they move on from Stone before they do Eay because he Yeah. Yeah. He he the he he uh Eay the face of the face of the face of our franchise right now, bro. Just as much as they talk about anybody, they talk about Eay as well. Eay got these guys playing. They You know what I’m saying? Like I don’t know. I don’t watch much national uh TV shows, but when I do, they always going to bring up email. So, they talking about when they talk about like the the any other team, they don’t really mention like the coaches. Be like, “Hey, we can get Mike Malone. Good old boy. Good old boy.” No. Hell no. No. No. Because it’s not it’s not too many coaches I trade for MA. Nick Nurse Spra or somebody like that. Maybe that’s about it for me. Nick Nurse and Bo and Kurt. That’s the only two that I would that I would that I would trade for. I don’t know. I don’t know. I do love what’s the name though? Uh Indiana faces coach. Oh. Uh what’s his name? Jim Carrey. You know what I’m saying? What’s his name? He look like Jim Carrey a little bit though. Yeah, he do. Um Dang. name. I’m going be help Rick Carile. No, there you go. Yeah. Can we Can we Can we pick up Patrick Beverly? No, that Rick Car. Yeah, Rick Carlile, bro. What we gonna do with Patrick Beverly, man? We just That’s like Brandon Jennings and Jeff Teague. While we at it all the Bro, we down bad, man. Nah, Ema ain’t going nowhere, man. Eay straight. Eay E may for all his flaws, he he probably got the longest leash out of everybody in that building. Uh because you got to see objectively what he his impact. As soon as he came in, he took a tanking team, made them relevant, and then went from a 500 team between being one of the worst teams ever, a 500 team one year, and then a second seed the next year. So, he’s built some Now, if it go off the rails real bad where it’s like we uh we don’t make the playoffs this year, then yeah, anything could happen. Like, when you start looking around, then yeah, you have to lose the locker room. You’re gonna lose the locker room. And then shoot if to me if he get fire stone probably gone too. Like you gonna have to bring in a new regime. Both of them can go cuz look look we all believe that Cam Whitmore was exceptionally talent. He up out of here because his not being able to play him having beef with Eay is basically what led him not playing. Jaylen Green was soft. Eay didn’t like Jaylen Green being soft. Guess what? Jaylen Green gone. Ree Shepard is slow now. Eay instead of trying to play Ree Shepard and he’s not liking it, but he’s steady trying to go with it. That’s three players that Eay couldn’t develop. We know how these old coaches is with developing players. But the question would be EF my contra contra whatever the word is is it the development or are you who’s picking the players? It could be it could be either one. But I mean but I got a counterpoint for you. I just turned oper Shangon even though he was already trending that I just turn turned bro into a AllNBA player. I got that on my notch. That’s true. I took him from a bad defender perception wise to one of the, you know, a top 10 defensive center in the league. I I’m going to turn a man Thompson into something. You feel me? I’m Jabari Smith. I got him playing at a starter level. So he may got some wins now. He got some scalps on his, you know, on his belt, too. So, and I wouldn’t I wouldn’t hold it over Inmate Head as far as development. These guys was three years deep already. Like Stone I mean, you know, Silus in the development. Let’s have this combo. He’s molding. Hold on. Hold on. Spade. Let’s have this combo about Stone then. How many draft picks did we have theh the first year of the tank, man? We had like eight. But it was four first round picks, right? It was Jaylen Green, uh, Opera Shangon, Josh Christopher, and, uh, and Garuba. How many of those guys are still here? One. Okay. All right. Keep. The next year it was Tari and Jabari, right? Jabari is a a starter level player. Taran might get traded this year. Yeah. So that’s what that’s that’ll make if T let’s say T get traded that’s two out of six. You got Amen Thompson the next year who’s a hit. So so that’s three out of seven. Oh we forgot about Tatai Washington. Tata I forgot about Tata. So that’s three out of eight. And then you got uh a man in uh uh Cam Cam Gone. That’s three out of nine. And then we got Reed Shepard. And if Reed turned out to be a bust, that’s you had three out of 10. Three out of 10. That’s a 30% hit rate. Hit rate with 10 damn near all first round picks. With 10 first round picks, you only hit three. That’s Eay. That’s Eay. No, that’s not E. That’s Stone. Thank you. That’s on. I know that. You know that. I know that. And you know that. But that’s all I’m saying. So we gonna have this combo about who’s to me Stone looking funny right now. But when it come to drafting, he looking horrible when it come to drafting. But when it come to managing that money and flipping them checkbooks and making and making money for uh Fata, who making who making the big bucks? Who getting these players to take a little bit of nothing? Who coming in with the contracts and getting these guys to pay these, you know, to get all these team friendly deals and budgeting this money to That’s the only thing he got, bro. He probably know where the bodies is buried. Nah, it’s because he he he he he you know he drafted some not too intelligent guys. Bro, this dude p Oh my god face. You going to make me mad tonight, bro. I ain’t going to lie right now. I’m thinking about the draft the whatifs in every single draft. I’m cool with Jay. I’mma defend my right. I was on I’m a Jaylen. I was a Jaylen. Uh I was a Moy guy. Yeah, I was a Jaylen guy. To me, you got to start off your rebuild with a wing score. Like that makes sense. That’s your centerpiece, your your universe. You start off with that, build around that. Cool. We you know, whatever it is, it is what it is, bro. But if you go the worst part is not even the Jaylen down that draft, bro, and his class, bro. There’s so many good players, bro, late in them rounds. I don’t get the Guba pick, but I guess he was like the best defender in the world or something. That’s what they said. Nah, that was cap. Cap, then we just drafted Jay Gup for vibes, bro. He was going crazy in um in the in the Olympics and [ __ ] Guber was going crazy in the Olympics that holding man. Oh man. Jabari, you know, Consensus third overall. I wasn’t mad at that. I’m cool with the Jabari pick. I love the Tari pick. Um man, I wanted Paulo so bad that year. Yeah, we were, you know, that was out of our hands. The controver Well, a man wasn’t really controversial. I think that that was a great pick uh for there. Uh the one to me the Ree Shepard one is probably the most controversial of all the picks because at that position you have the opportunity to trade back. To me there were a lot of red I think he felt like at that point in time cuz Jaylen was still here, Cam was still here. Hell, what do we have to lose? Let’s just you know what I mean? let’s just take a swing cuz no none of us felt like we was drafting for like oh my god this guy’s going to be our starter when we get KD like so it wasn’t like it was like you know he could help us shoot we need a shooting so I think that was the mentality but little do we know that within a year of drafting bro that this half the people was going to be gone that played guard on the roster. So, but man, he looking funny in the light though. I ain’t going to lie. A little bit. He looking He looking a little bit funny in the light. Little bit. Out of out of 10 picks, 11 picks, you only hit three. That’s three out of 10 is crazy. Not a good Damn. You give that to because everybody missed. Like I think Prey Prey probably got what 60% hit rate 70. Yeah, some up there like that. Damn. Stone shooting like we did tonight. He looking like bro. Russell Westbrook off the side of the backboard right now, man. Bro had four. Oh my god. I forgot about Garuba and them boys, man. Hey, I would have loved to see them under Eay, though, to be honest. Yeah. Well, I mean I mean I don’t know, man. We can’t can’t cry or spill milk. You know what I’m saying? Hopefully we can go on a ride. Let’s go on a five game winning streak. Yeah, we gonna Man, I think we g we I think we got enough talent. It’s gonna translate to win. What we and I know what what Frank is looking at is playoff series, right? We can get by on just Tannon alone for the regular season and having a lack of point guard. I don’t think we’re going to miss the playoffs, you know? I don’t even think we’re going to be like fighting for the play. I still think we’ll be a solid five to three seed even without the play uh you know a point guard. But it’s when we go into these playoffs and people they scheme for you and coaches they have days a whole week to know how to scheme you out. scheme players off the floor and limit your capabilities and limit your weak uh your your strengths and and uh you know exasperate your weaknesses and show the world your weaknesses, right? That’s what we’re talking about. You know what I’m saying? Because that’s that should be our level of expectation right now is championship or B. Well, not I wouldn’t say bust, but it’s it’s almost championship or bust. We still at that cream of the crop level, right? So I think that’s what me and and Frank maybe you too EF maybe you looking at it in the as far as a playoff series regular season is regular season you know what I’m saying and I think we going to be good there it’s the playoffs that we really is talking about. Yeah 100% 100% from my from my from my uh standpoint. Um, but then again, like I said, this the kind of team that we have, you really have to get out to a strong start because Fred is gone. Fred, I didn’t expect Fred to be hurt until midway through the season. He’s hurt the whole entire season. So now you look around and you’re like, “Okay, man. How long is going to be upright? How long is Baron gonna be upright?” Needless to say, I’m not even gonna say Candyman three times cuz on the way home somebody might slip. You know what I mean? So, I’m not even gonna say that. But it’s it’s um it’s that whole thing. Look, I said this this this team could look like a tanking team before before we get to the All-Star break. No reason to tank. No nothing to tank for, but this could look like a tanking team before we get to Allstar break. That’s just that’s just the reality of it. And I mean, coming out to a strong start was one of the things that I hoped to see, but obviously we got a we had a tough record, you know, the in the beginning part of the year. And so, you know, being able to get some to gain some ground on some of these guys would have been good these first couple of games. A team like Detroit, man, and we know we know what they made of. We know this is a gritty team that’s embracing the bad boy style. They got bigger staff over there. He got these boys looking tough. And so, you know, this was a real test. When I when I when I woke up today, I was like, today is more of a test than the OKC game. OKC was emotions and rings and whatnot, but today was going to be a real test because these guys coming out to prove who they is. They coming out to prove that they can compete with the top teams in the league. And that’s, you know, they just punched us in the mouth. You know what I mean? They just punch us in the mouth. And that’s not usually something that a EA team is known for getting done, but they did it. Yeah. Yeah. And I think I think we still need to take into account load management because Stephen Adams going to load manage. Yeah. KD is going to load manage. You know what I’m saying? He’s going to load manage at least 15 games. 12 to 15 games. I think KD and let’s hope and pray he himself don’t get hit by the injury bug and he have to miss at least like two to three weeks or something. Who’s our offense if KD hurt? Is it just Kalas? Just hang it up like hang it up, bro. Right. It’ll be it’s going to have to be. But then that mean then you’re going to have to surround KD with some 3 and D wings. and our wings, they don’t hit threes. At least Dylan Brooks, he did hit threes, right? And I don’t see what even I don’t see where it’s going to come from. If if we lose KD, we’re done. Like fork in a fork in a in a turkey, we’re done. If he sit 20 games, we we cook. I mean, either way it go, this team is is I mean, okay, we can we can make some headway because obviously we it’s going to be it’s a stretch I think from like mid or early January to like right at the beginning of of February where we got a lot of easy games. That’s our chance to make the headway. But that’s also the best chance for KD to get some rest. So, you got to pick your poison. Do we make the headway or do we let KD rest? And you know what I mean? Well, we need to start winning some games so we have that that cushion. You know what I’m saying? If we if we fifth, six seed, ain’t no rest. We going to have to push because we can easily we in the West. We can easily drop from the sixth to the 10th game 11 I mean 11th seed within a game. You know what I’m saying? Cuz that’s how close the West be. Usually it be one or two games that separate 12 from from five. You know what I’m saying? A lot of the time. So we we better get us some wins. We better get us some cushion to where KD can rest because right now it’s not looking like that’s going to be a luxury. If we get make a trade for somebody that could play that gar that Phil Fred’s role, then we could lean on Alp and Shangon more. But as is right now, I agree with y’all. Like, but that’s why I think they they probably will make a move because um yeah, some of the lineups is just really hard to see offense coming without both because I Shangon could do some carrying. Um but it’s not even a to me the roster is good. It’s just because they’re the offense is so bad like the way we run it that that’s where all these talks come in. But as is, bro, you if you can if they’re not going to do DHOs’s with some of these players or they don’t get a guard, then that’s where all this stuff come. But to me, we got a really good roster. Like, uh, we we’re pretty deep. And once that they establish that, I think they’ll be straight. It’s just EA is not helping them right now with what he’s coaching. The like whatever they’re working on, I don’t like it. They just got to figure something out. But I I still think the roster as is pretty good. Um, but like y’all said, it’s gonna be teams are gonna try to beat us, too. It’s not, you can’t sneak up on nobody no more. They’re gonna play you like you a contending team. Just like when we used to when we was bad and the, you know, the Lakers or the Warriors or OKC or one of these good teams would come, the Timberwolves, we get up for it. Every team’s going to get up for us. We got KD now. So, they just got to buckle in. But, I think we it’ll it’ll take time, but they’ll figure something out with what they got. And then we just need to get better from there. For sure. For sure. Man, I think that’s a good place to wrap it up, man. We’ve been going on for two and a half hours. Is getting pretty late. I’m going to get up out of here. EF, appreciate you for coming, bro. Unless you got you got anything to say before we go, EF? No, man. Just good chopping it up with you, fella, man. Good to see you back, man. Hope you been all right. Shame to you, Frank. Hope you guys been good. For sure. For sure. Appreciate it. Appreciate it. Um, I’mma get up out of here. CSG’s man. It look like we gonna have to bring back we all we got. Oh my god. No, bro. I ain’t gonna make it. I ain’t gonna lie. If we going back there, bro, I’mma just quit watching back. I can’t do it, bro. I cannot. We’re not. We’re not. Don’t Don’t even say that. We All right. I ain’t I ain’t gonna jinx it. I ain’t gonna jinx it. Hopefully this this one of the last few vent therapy sessions we gonna have, bro. We need to talk about some hoops, some wins. Yeah, we ain’t doing y’all. We got For sure, man. I appreciate my boy Frank as always coming through, man. Dropping in. Um, if you haven’t already, you you know the Rockets talk is one of the best rockers, I mean podcast that ever like out especially it’s out right now. Frank and uh Roo, they do an exceptional exceptional job, man. And uh if y’all haven’t already watched the the reaction to opening night OKC that that’s on the that’s on the channel, man. y’all go ahead and support support the boy Frank and uh Roo man hot content great in-depth analysis good both of them got the IQ of basketball is so is so uh high and astute man that you could tell they’re students of the game bro and they bring some great great insights if you’re a Rockets fan you have to check out the Rockets talk I don’t know when the next time y’all recording uh Frank but uh y’all be look on the lookout for that Rockets talk. I’m pretty sure it’ll be sometime this this week he’ll probably be dropping it. But um yeah, man. I’mma get up out of here. CSG’s Chop Shop game. You know, I ain’t going to say we all we got, but you know what it is, man. Y’all be right back here with us whenever we go live again for a postgame reaction. See you when I see you. Peace out.
Houston Rockets vs Detroit Pistons Postgame
29 comments
We wouldn’t be talking if Fred wasn’t injured. The core is amen, Sengun, KD. The talks of eliminating personnel is too soon.
I don't mind the double big line up..
We just shouldn't start with the double big line up . We definitely need double bigs for the extra rebounds so can't just scrap it ..
😂 Sky hook or not I'm just glad Reed isn't scared to shoot though. That's already a upgrade from last season.. IJS
Reed mid glad yall keeping it real as always
The Rockets suffered from the exact same problem they suffered from last year, no guaranteed closer… I thought Durant was supposed to take the shot when the game is on the line. Why the hell did he pass it to Thompson as if he can shoot. To me the problem, has always been theis weird focus of this team of putting all their eggs in one basket called defense. There’s no way you’re going to be a serious threat for the championship without at least two knockdown perimeter shooters and Reed definitely is not it.
Except Durant, Okogie and Adams, other guys played like a shit … Coaching staff was also bad at doing their job… We need a real point guard in mid season. Make a trade immediately!
First 5 games are preseason. Chill
Shane larkson
The double big won’t work like that because we loss a lot of perimeter feet speed that’s why the zone look bad this year it’s too many big guys out there.
REED AND TARI CONTINUE TO DESTROY THE ROCKETS WITH CHAOS UNLIKE BASKETBALL!
Reed and Tari are constantly targeted and hunted by even the opposing teams' worst players, both offensively and defensively!
There is no way the offense can flow, defend one-on-one or in the zone, or even get offensive or defensive rebounds when these two are on the court!
These two players are the main reason why the Rockets concede over 100 points to their opponents in every game and this is no longer acceptable!
What is certain is that Jalen Green, Cam Whitmore, Reed Sheppard and Tari Eason have never been and will never be NBA level basketball players!
And this is ridiculous but as long as Udoka insists on fielding such bad players, it is very difficult for the Rockets to win games even against the worst teams in the NBA!
Okagie or Davison are the only players who should be on the court, not Reed or Tari!
It's not the double big line up that's the problem, it's the same issue as last year. Hitting open shots. Jabari, just like last year misses wide open shots. They still didn't address the issues from last year is shooting. They doubled down on bringing in guys that is strong on the defensive side but still not bringing in actual shooters. Until they address that issue they are going to continue to struggle regardless of big lineup or not.
Rewatching the live….this definitely was a diatribe of venting after starting 0-2. We are absolutely showing our fanatic feelings on our (CSG's🤘🏾🚀) shoulders 😂😂. 60% of our starting lineup from last year is missing. I think we'll be alright and figure it out in a 82 game season. CSG's….we all we got🤘🏾
We need a system, i don’t want Al P or any big bringing up the ball, it has to our guards doing that, Adams shouldn’t play 20+ minutes. Reed and Eason are struggling but it’s still early, i believe we will get better overtime but we have many issues that needs to be fix.
A big part of the problem is lack of hustle and lazy and foolish passing. They make so many bad passes. Some hustle and cleaning up their passing would make a big difference.
We are really missing Fred.
Reed tari for Coby white and 2 2nd rounders get it done tonight
Missing Jalen speed we can’t run we become one of the slowest team in league 3 fast breaks in two games trade is a bust.
Thanks!
Alp thinks he better then he is
Bad trade bad trade slowest team in league 45 wins at best’s
Can’t get nothing for reed he been exposed to late
Kd is not a bus driver
Reed is never going to be a frontline point guard. He's short and slow, a joke on defense. A package including him, Tari and a draft pick or swap should be enticing enough to get started shopping for a decent guard.
Alp ain’t better than Cade, my guy.
Rockets need to get rid of the double big in the starting lineup. You can play it during stretches of the game but at this point it’s useless to start with it. It’s causing everyone to be out of rhythm except the superstars. First game Sengun was the only one in rhythm and 2nd game it’s Durant but the rest of the team has struggled mightily. Trust me guys it’s the double big that is the main problem not just FVV.
Ime needs to stop obsessing over this double big just because it worked in the playoffs matchup with GSW who has a small lineup doesn’t mean it will work for the rest of the league.
Ime need to do 2 things:
1. Either start Reed or Okogi until DFS is ready. I will prefer Okogi
2. He needs to stop playing that stupid zone defense. You have individual players that can play elite defense yet you choose a zone because of obsession with double big lineup it’s not working, not against good teams.
Houston lost the rebounding even with the double big starting. At this point the starting double big is not worth it. End it NOW!
Space? Where u been? Glad to have you back.
Tari about to get a call from the FBI based off these performances 😅
i gotta put this blunt down i thought i heard him say alpi is better than cade .
Multiple issues. Jabari, Amen, Sengun, Tari, and Reed all severely underperformed. Got beat by 4. Any one of those players I mentioned perform as expected and we win by 5+ easily. It's a slow start but only need to panic when patterns are established and this is still going on (around 10 games). Tomorrow is the Nets and their best player is MPJ so should definitely be an easy win.
The Fred injury definitely screwed shit up heavily. Fuck it we ball though. We just gotta learn to play with KD without Fred and we're figuring it out but it's racking up losses while we're doing it though lol. We're gonna turn it around though just be a little patient.
Ima need everybody to calm down.the rockets cant do nothin about a pg anyways until after dec 15 and even at that they cant trade anybody worth anything to get a pg thats worth trading for. Just chill and ride the storm. Idk where yall came up with this its championship or bust this yr. I didn't expect a championship this yr and if any of yall did yall funny as hell. Even with fred it was a push. I figured west finals at best. Let reed and amen get that burn and if not get rid of them next season or fred. Problem solved. Fck it trade amen and some other pieces and go get lamelo or trae. Hopefully that will make everyone happy